New details in the investigation of a tunnel discovered from Juarez into El Paso
UPDATE: Homeland Security Investigations El Paso (HSI) has revealed that they are now the ones leading the investigation to find those responsible for the construction of the tunnel.
HSI says this tunnel was likely constructed within the past year, and no arrests have been made at this time.
The tunnel found under the U.S.-Mexico border was discovered on January 8 and extends into the Boone Street storm drain in El Paso, according to HSI.
HSI also revealed that the tunnel is approximately 4 ft. wide and 6 ft. in length; it is held up by 2x4 wood beams and has electricity and a ventilation system.
HSI says this is an ongoing investigation.
UPDATE: The discovery of a tunnel running from Juarez into El Paso sparked a multi-agency response Friday, including local, state, federal, and even international law enforcement.
In a news conference Friday afternoon, Border Patrol Agent Claudio Herrera from the El Paso Sector Public Affairs office said the coordinated investigation includes members of Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI El Paso Foreign Operations Branch, Customs and Border Protection, El Paso Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Mexican government, the U.S. consulate general in Juarez, among others.
Herrera said that more information would be shared as the investigation continued, but that limited details were available at the moment.
Video shot by ABC-7 news partners Canal 44 from Mexico of the banks of Rio Grande on U.S. side of border showed the progression of the investigation Friday afternoon:
EL PASO, Texas and JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- A large law enforcement presence could be seen on either side of the border and border wall near the Border Highway and adjacent the X in the Plaza de la Mexicanidad in Juarez on Friday afternoon.
ABC-7 crews on the scene saw dozens of state and federal law enforcement vehicles near a border wall gate, including Texas Department of Public Safety state troopers, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and Mexican law enforcement on the U.S. side of the border.
ABC-7 is working to learn more about the cause of the investigation.
