Migrants Vanish in Texas Drainage Tunnels

U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, were keeping an eye on sewer tunnels Wednesday after as many as 20 people dodged inside and vanished.

The group was seen entering the tunnel mouth near Interstate 10 along the Mexican border Tuesday morning. U.S. agents gave chase but lost them in the maze, the El Paso Times reported Wednesday.

Part of a tunnel showed signs of collapse and the fire department rescue squad was summoned but no one was found after the debris was cleared, fire Inspector Rudy Portillo said.

We’re almost positive they have gotten out through somewhere else, Portillo told the Times.

Border Patrol Agent Martin Hernandez said the tunnel system and its outlets would be kept under surveillance for another day at least.

It’s one of the routes that smugglers use despite the various warnings we put out, he said in the newspaper article. There could be toxic chemicals, toxic gases, tight spaces and asphyxiation.