Authorities discovered 17 illegal immigrants in a storm drain in the border city of El Paso, Texas, the sector’s acting Border Patrol chief said Wednesday on Twitter.
“Working together, #ElPaso Station agents & the El Paso Fire Department @EPTXFire, rescue 17 migrants from a dangerous storm drain tunnel. After making an illegal entry into the U.S., the migrants attempted to evade Border Patrol detection by utilizing this hazardous tunnel. @CBP,” U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Peter Jaquez for the El Paso sector wrote.
Federal authorities have seen record surges in illegal immigration at the southern border in recent months. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered more than 2.3 million migrants in fiscal year 2022 alone. (RELATED: Smugglers Get More Than A Decade In Prison For Holding Illegal Immigrants Hostage)
Illegal migrants sleep on the streets of El Paso, Texas (Jennie Taer// Daily Caller News Foundation)
Like the group found in the storm drain, many illegal immigrants try to evade apprehension when entering the country illegally.
Border Patrol estimates that somewhere between 73,397 and 87,631 illegal immigrants evaded arrest at the southern border during the month of December alone, former acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The illegal immigration surge at the border also drove President Joe Biden to visit El Paso in January after he announced new legal entry measures for migrants to apply for humanitarian parole before coming to the U.S. or for entry via a phone application known as CBP One.
Hours before Biden’s arrival to the area hundreds of illegal immigrants, many of whom told the DCNF they evaded apprehension, slept on the city streets after a large surge at the border nearby.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.