Tunnels Along U.S./Mexico Border

The L.A. Times in “Unfilled tunnels a weak link at border Key points are plugged in U.S. and Mexico, but smugglers may still try to reuse the passages” by Richard Marosi reports on tunnels along the U.S./Mexico border that have been discovered but have gone unfilled due to cost and other complications. 

These are not tunnels made by amateurs.  Here are a couple of examples from the article:

The 1,400-foot tunnel called the “Taj Mahal” because of its lighting system and reinforced concrete walls. The tunnel was discovered in 1993. Five years later, authorities suspected the passage had been reentered after 33 illegal immigrants were found covered in mud near the opening. A metal lid over the tunnel opening had been cut. Border Patrol agents say they never determined for sure if the passage was reused.

Two long tunnels leading from Mexicali, Mexico, to a quiet residential area in Calexico, Calif. One of them, discovered in 2005, was equipped with a ventilation system, phone line and video surveillance equipment.

Among the unfilled tunnels, created to ferry people and drugs, is the longest one yet found — extending nearly half a mile from San Diego to Tijuana. Filling the seven tunnels would cost about $2.7 million, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. Accessing tunnels that run under private property is also a problem, as is a lack of coordination with Mexican authorities.

Click here for the full story.

KJ