A concealed 1,000-foot tunnel connecting the US and Mexico will be closed following its discovery earlier this month.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that its agents unearthed a completed underground passage after examining a stormwater drainage system in Texas.
Officials reported that the tunnel extends between the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez and the US city of El Paso, separated by the Rio Grande and the US-Mexico frontier.
General Jose Lemus, commander of Ciudad Juarez’s military installation, stated on Sunday that Mexican authorities would seal the 1,000-foot long passage, as per CBS News.
He mentioned that the tunnel—first detected on January 10—“must have required extensive effort” to construct, indicating “it may have taken one to two years.”
US agents identified the tunnel, which spans 1,000 feet to Ciudad Juarez, in El Paso earlier this month. Pic: Reuters
The Mexican Attorney General’s Office is accountable for the investigation, as stated by the general, and will ascertain whether the authorities were complicit in its construction.
According to the CBP, the tunnel measures six feet in height and four feet in width, featuring lighting and a ventilation system, and is supported by wooden reinforcements throughout to avert collapse.
This development coincides with both the US and Mexico bolstering border security ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday.
Officials suspect that constructing the tunnel could have exceeded one year. Pic: Reuters
The president-elect vowed mass deportations during his election campaign and informed Sky’s US partner network NBC on Saturday that they would commence “very early, very promptly” after his inauguration.
“We are already prepared, and it will begin,” he asserted. “We need to remove the criminals who have entered our country unlawfully.”
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NBC News has also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are preparing several operations in Chicago, Illinois, following Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
A source familiar with the situation informed the broadcaster that numerous locations would be targeted, and operations could commence as soon as Tuesday.
Sky News has reached out to the US Customs and Border Protection office for commentary.
