‘Alien smuggling’ raid in east El Paso leads to several arrests, sounds of explosions

EL PASO, Texas -- Authorities executed a search warrant at a house in east El Paso in connection with an "alien smuggling" investigation, according to a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It happened Tuesday just after 6 a.m. in the 11900 block of Royal Woods Drive.

ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa told ABC-7 that several people were arrested, but she was unable to provide any further details.

Some nearby residents told ABC-7 they heard explosions - but officials have not confirmed if they were gunshots or stun grenades, which are non-deadly explosive devices usually used against barricaded suspects.

U.S. Homeland Security, Border Patrol, El Paso police and the department's SWAT team were all involved in executing the search warrant.