Cartels Charge $30,000 to Smuggle Migrants Through El Paso's 32 Storm-Drain Entry Points
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Cartels Charge $30,000 to Smuggle Migrants Through El Paso's 32 Storm-Drain Entry Points
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Summary
$20,000 to $30,000 is now the going rate Border Patrol says smugglers charge migrants to move through El Paso’s storm-drain network, a route Fox News accessed with the sector’s confined-space team.
32 known entry points from the Rio Grande and hundreds of exits across neighborhoods, parks and commercial areas make the system hard to contain, with some openings near schools and homes.
161 migrants have been apprehended in the drains this fiscal year, and agents say crossings there now usually involve groups of two or three rather than the 70-person groups seen at the border crisis peak.
45 minutes to an hour inside the hot, tight tunnels can expose migrants and agents to shifting oxygen levels, while Border Patrol says cartels keep probing for vulnerabilities despite historically low overall illegal crossings.