Media reported on Mexico's plan to backfill a tunnel on the US border

The tunnel discovered last week on the U.S.-Mexico border will be backfilled by Mexican authorities. This was announced on Sunday, January 19, by General Jose Lemus, commander of the military garrison in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez.

It is specified that the tunnel connects Ciudad Juarez with the Texas city of El Paso. It is about 304 meters long, 1.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide. On the Mexican side, it is equipped with lighting and ventilation and is reinforced to prevent collapses.

According to Lemus, the entrance to the tunnel is camouflaged in the storm drainage system that runs between the two cities. The small size of the underground passage allows for easy movement of people and contraband.

"The construction of the tunnel probably took a long time... probably one or two years," CBS News quoted Lemus as saying.

According to the broadcaster, the Mexican Attorney General's Office is currently conducting an investigation to determine whether local officials were involved in its construction.

Lemus also noted that information about the tunnel was discussed by traffickers on social media sites such as TikTok.

In addition, the Mexican authorities are ready to take back and provide everything necessary for Mexicans who emigrated to the United States, in case the U.S. president-elect Donald Trump initiates a campaign of mass deportations of illegal migrants, President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

Earlier, in November 2024, it was reported that on the first day of his presidency, the new White House head Donald Trump could launch a mass deportation of migrants, which he promised to implement back during the campaign.