Mexican authorities are taking steps to seal a portion of a man-made illegal border tunnel under the Rio Grande.
On Tuesday, workers from the Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (CILA) were seen on the Rio Grande levee near the border wall using sonar equipment and other machinery to analyze the tunnel’s remaining open sections, according to Border Report. The efforts are part of ongoing work to fill or block off the quarter-mile-long tunnel between El Paso and Juarez.
“We are proud of the Agents who discovered this smuggling infrastructure used by transnational criminal organizations,” El Paso Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good said in a statement after the tunnel was found.
“Our Agents are relentless in searching and surveying every square mile of the El Paso Sector. With our partners, we are committed to investigating these illicit activities and bringing all perpetrators to justice.”
Although Border Patrol agents have sealed the tunnel on the U.S. side, CILA officials said that filling in the remaining section near the river still requires careful planning. Workers have dug small holes along the levee in preparation for the concrete they will pour to block access to the tunnel.
The operation requires special engineering considerations to avoid disrupting the levee, which plays a critical role in flood management, per BorderReport.
The tunnel, first discovered on January 9, was described by Customs and Border Protection as “about six feet tall and four feet wide and is equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and is braced with wood beams throughout.” Authorities believe it was used for smuggling illegal aliens and narcotics into the country, though its full impact on illegal operations near the border remains under investigation.
At the time of publication, law enforcement officials had not made any arrests regarding the tunnel’s construction or illegal practices. The Mexican National Guard and the Chihuahua state police are investigating who built the tunnel.
“The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to working with our partners along the border to combat illegal criminal activity and address national security threats, and will continue to support the ongoing investigation into this tunnel,” said FBI Special Agent In Charge John Morales.