'Sophisticated' Border Tunnel Likely Used To Smuggle VIP Migrants Paying Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars, Expert Says

The "sophisticated" tunnel crossing through the U.S. southern border and revealed last week was likely used to smuggle high-paying migrants or drugs, according to a former Border Patrol Chief.

Speaking to Border Report, Victor Manjarrez made the assessment based on his extensive experience as Border Patrol chief agent in Arizona and West Texas.

"It would make more sense it was being used to bring people from China, from Southeast Asia or Europe that can pay $25,000 to $30,000 to be smuggled to the United States. If you go for volume, it becomes a risk because someone could talk. This isn't for the economic migrant you normally see here," the former official told the outlet.

He added that other potential clients could come from what he described as "terrorist" regions. "They may not be on the list itself but come from" there, Manjarrez added, saying they are "the ones more invested in not being detected."

The tunnel, discovered last week, is "equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and is braced with wood beams throughout," per Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to Border Report, authorities had heard about the tunnel months ago but had been unable to locate it. That changed after agents conducted a storm drain inspection in Boone Street, less than a mile away from the border.

El Paso Chief Sector Patrol Agent, Anthony Scott Good, described the tunnel as "smuggling infrastructure" used by transnational criminal organizations. "With our partners, we are committed to investigating these illicit activities and bringing all perpetrators to justice —those who endanger lives in these hazardous environments and circumvent the legal pathways to entering the United States," he said.

In another passage of the interview, Manjarrez said there are probably other tunnels crossing the borders that haven't been discovered. "Most tunnels are discovered by human intelligence (...) somebody gets caught, somebody talks, you start looking," he said.

The use of tunnels by criminal organizations, especially along border regions, is an ongoing issue for U.S. border authorities. In 2022, CBS reported the finding of another sophisticated tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego. The drug smuggling passage was similarly equipped with ventilation and lighting, as well as a rail system.

In 2020, California border authorities discovered the longest illicit cross-border tunnel to date, stretching over 4,300 feet from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego, California. This tunnel featured an extensive rail and cart system, forced air ventilation, high-voltage electrical cables, and an elevator at the entrance, per CBP.