Thousands of migrants have crossed from Juarez to El Paso through the sewer system, report says

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Mexico's Attorney General (Fiscalía General de la República) informed the public they have charged six people with organized crime, human trafficking, and money laundering.

In a statement, they said:

"Derived from a bilateral investigation with US authorities Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), the dismantling of a transnational criminal organization was achieved, through an operation coordinated with the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), the SEDENA and the FEMDO, through the Specialized Unit for Investigation of Crimes related to Kidnapping."

Fiscalía General de la República

According to a report published El Diario de Juárez, nearly 4,000 migrants have crossed into the U.S. from Juarez through the sewer system.

ABC-7 reached out to U.S. Border Patrol to learn about the number of apprehensions they've made coming from sewers in the El Paso Sector.

The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector does not record the exact numbers of migrant rescues and apprehensions from the sewer system, officials tell ABC-7, but they say it is a method employed by organized crime for many years.

"Transnational Criminal Organizations operating in the El Paso Sector, and the human smugglers they employ, exploit the manholes within the city of El Paso to smuggle migrants illegally into the U.S.," the Mexican Attorney General added. "This is a trend employed by the TCOs for many years.  The El Paso storm drain system is very large and complex and migrants often get lost or come across chemicals, toxic gases, insects, and venomous animals as they attempt to enter the United States."