Fox News exposes the El Paso drainage system used to smuggle migrants
Brooke Taylor reveals El Paso, Texas' underground storm drain system, a hidden world exploited by cartels to transport migrants from Mexico to the United States illegally. Taylor highlights the extreme dangers and harsh conditions within the hot, dark, and intense tunnels. Smugglers now charge migrants $20,000 to $30,000 to pass through these checkpoints.
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Hidden beneath the streets of El Paso is what US Border Patrol agents describe as “the city under our city,” a sprawling network of storm drains built for flood control that authorities say Mexican cartels continue to exploit to smuggle illegal immigrants from Mexico into the United States.
Fox News was given rare, exclusive underground access to the El Paso Sector's elite Confined Space Entry Team (CSET), who join agents as they navigate a dangerous tunnel where the Border Patrol says smugglers continue to seek danger, despite illegal crossings and apprehension at historically low levels.
The Border Patrol told Fox News that it takes smugglers and illegal immigrants 45 minutes to an hour to get through storm drains, which are hot and humid, with oxygen levels that can fluctuate or drop suddenly.
The underground system extends for miles beneath El Paso. According to the Border Patrol, there are 32 known points of entry from the Rio Grande into the United States and hundreds of points of exit scattered throughout communities, parks and commercial areas throughout the city.
WATCH: INSIDE LOOK AT DANGEROUS PEOPLE-TRANSFERING HUMANS STILL USED IN CHALLENGE
Mexican police work to close and protect a secret tunnel discovered on the border between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, January 13, 2025. The tunnel, which was used for drug and human trafficking, was protected by the Mexican National Guard and employees of the Attorney General's Office, who collected evidence before closing it permanently. (David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jason Hartman, who leads the El Paso Sector's Confined Space Entry Team, said one of the biggest challenges is where smugglers can come from once they've entered the underground network.
“There are points out of schools, elementary schools, where we sleep, where we play,” Hartman told Fox News. “Anywhere, you can have smugglers or bad people coming into your yard, your playgrounds, your children's schools.”
Except for the entrances to the storm crossings, the evidence of the past places was left behind. Fox News saw tools, a wallet and a Mexican driver's license left near the door, which agents say migrants and smugglers often leave behind during trips.
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US Border Patrol agents work at the border to shut down an illegal border crossing tunnel that was originally discovered on January 10, 2025, between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on March 11, 2025. (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Border Patrol checkpoints near the Rio Grande, and Hartman says agents rely on technology to detect movement within the underground network.
“We have technology that lets us know when they come in, where they go, when they come out,” said Hartman. “Technology is growing rapidly.”
However, some are able to slip. So far this fiscal year, the Border Patrol says agents have apprehended 161 illegal immigrants using El Paso's storm drain system. At the height of the border crisis, Hartman said agents sometimes encountered groups of up to 70 people traveling through the underground maze. Today, he said, it is more common to meet with only two or three groups.
SIX ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING A 14-YEAR-OLD, HAVE BEEN FOUND DEAD IN A FORCED DEPORTATION BOX IN A SOUTHERN COUNTRY.
Fox News has obtained an inside view of the underground network of hurricanes under El Paso, Texas, where the Border Patrol says the cartels are exploiting to smuggle illegal immigrants. (Fox Stories)
Agents assigned to the special task force receive extensive training in a full-scale storm evacuation, learning to operate in confined spaces while constantly monitoring oxygen levels that can change without warning.
Hartman said the physical conditions alone can be overwhelming before agents encounter a trafficker.
“For me, it's heat and time and wind,” Hartman said.
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The Border Patrol says that because it's difficult and dangerous to cross the border illegally, smugglers have increased the fees they charge migrants, between $20,000 and $30,000 per person, to guide them through hurricane paths.
“Cartels are eager to try and smuggle people in,” said Hamid Nikseresht, US Border Patrol Special Operations chief. “They have the desire to try to support the networks around the world that they support because this is not just a local issue. This is a global issue.”
