Illegal immigration is a nasty and dangerous business. The trip, no matter what the intentions, in most cases is long and arduous. Profit-seeking criminals exploit migrants and take advantage of their situation by offering services at great cost. While these may include services such as transport, they may also consist of document fraud. This can include the lending of stolen passports with photos that resemble the migrants, the falsification of travel or identity documents, or the obtaining of genuine passports or visas based on fraudulent supporting documents. Since these services are illegal, the criminals have tremendous power, while the migrants are left vulnerable.
Many migrants are abused or die on the way to their destination, and many are abandoned without resources. Refugees and asylum seekers, as well as vulnerable migrants such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women, can be among those who pay a high price for smuggling services with no guarantee for their safety or the success of the venture. In many cases, migrants are mistreated during the smuggling process and the conditions that they are made to endure are severe. This is the very reason why a loud and clear message not to even consider the trip, unless you intend to enter the country legally. needs to be sent through policy decisions.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 69 migrants, including four unaccompanied minors, after being alerted that they were hidden in El Paso’s storm drain system, Customs and Border Protection said. El Paso agents got a tip about migrants being smuggled into an area known as the Boone Storm Drain, which is located east of the Bridge of the Americas.
During the investigation, the El Paso Confined Space Entry (CSET) discovered that a manhole near Interstate 10 had been used as an entry, and high levels of chlorine were detected at the site.
There are two separate drainage systems. The sanitary sewer system that carries human waste utilizes PVC piping. The manholes that access the sanitary system can contain a higher concentration of dangerous gasses. That said, the storm drainage system where the migrants were found can still house dangerous gasses. The reason they are able to move through that system is that, since the storm drainage system handles larger quantities of runoff, the RCP pipes, box culverts, etc., are much larger.
The agents located 27 migrants before CSET discovered another illegal entry point. Their investigation in that area uncovered an additional 43 migrants within the storm drainage system.
In total, 69 migrants were arrested from the storm drains on Wednesday evening. Those apprehended came from Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras and El Salvador. All of them were medically evaluated and processed to be removed under Title 8.
El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents arrest 69 migrants inside the El Paso storm drain system. These smugglers carelessly use these dangerous passageways, exposing migrants to toxic chemicals and the risk of getting lost or drowning.@CBP @USBPChief #elpaso #stormdrains pic.twitter.com/zsO9qwQesz
— Anthony “Scott” Good (@USBPChiefEPT) February 2, 2024
El Paso Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott Good” said:
“El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents continue to successfully disrupt dangerous human smuggling schemes and the illicit operations of transnational criminal organizations (TCO).”
“The storm drain system is dangerous and poses serious risks to not only the migrants but to our Border Patrol agents and law enforcement partners. Due to these risks, the El Paso Sector will deliver serious consequences to individuals that exploit the El Paso Storm drain system.”
CBP added an additional warning saying that the city’s storm drain system “is large and complex, and migrants often get lost or encounter chemicals, toxic gases, insects and venomous animals as they attempt to enter the United States.”
“The complex drainpipe system that travels from the city of El Paso to the Rio Grande River can transport toxic and hazardous substances that can pose serious health risks. Migrants also face the possibility of drowning or suffocation as some of these storm drains are only a few inches in diameter and pose a threat to migrants as they could become trapped with limited access to air.”
The Democrats’ refusal to face the truth about what’s happening at the border is the ultimate act of not only betrayal of the American people, but cruelty to those involved. Ignoring a problem never solves it. In cases like this, inaction is being interpreted as condoning the illegal activity. The Biden border is a disaster, and it gets more dangerous for all involved every day.