Tunnel to U.S. starts inside Mexican home

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | February 28, 2005 | Sandra Dibble

[WindOracle]

The bedroom of a luxurious Mexicali residence a block from the border hid a secret tunnel leading to neighboring Calexico, Mexican officials said yesterday.

Inside the passageway, investigators discovered lighting and ventilation equipment, a closed-circuit security system, hydraulic machinery and various tools, according to a statement yesterday by the Mexican Federal Attorney General's Office, or PGR.

The findings led agents to surmise that "the tunnel was used for illicit activities, presumably related to drug trafficking," the statement said.

A middle section of the passageway was initially discovered in the United States early Friday by U.S. Border Patrol agents checking for tunnels in a residential area of Calexico. It is the third tunnel found in Calexico in the past 15 months.

"From what we've seen of this tunnel, it appears to be one of the most sophisticated and elaboratedly constructed that we have discovered to date," said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is conducting the investigation.

Smugglers of migrants and drugs have historically used underground passageways to avoid detection by U.S. and Mexican authorities. Mack said yesterday that U.S. investigators were searching for the tunnel's other end: "This an ongoing criminal investigation, and we're still trying to locate a possible exit to the U.S."

On the Mexican side, the tunnel's entrance was found Saturday by agents from Mexico's Federal Agency of Investigation, know as AFI. The entrance led from the bedroom of a house about 100 yards from the border in an upscale neighborhood known as Colonia Nueva.

The house, on Francisco I. Madero Avenue, shared the same lot with a second residence that also was searched, according to the PGR. Agents found a closed-circuit security system outside the two houses. Both houses were vacant at the time of the search, the statement said.

The statement did not say who owned the property.

[SheLion]

Yes, I read this but didn't respond. Another article that gives me the shivers.

[naturalized]

And when they're not washing dishes and collecting garbage...

Have you been stealing from the Howard Dean playbook on ethnic relations?

Funny thing is, I wash dishes and collect garbage every night. Right after my wife cooks dinner and my sons clear the table. You ought to try it sometime.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Uhhhh.....DD was quoting someone else, I believe.

[kingattax]

is our govt gonna wait until one day we wake up and see a howling mob in the streets in our country that looks like what we see in Gaza on TV now ???......this is serious

WE ARE BEING INVADED

[AFreeBird]

Maybe they are worried about booby traps or something.

They use robots to explore tunnels in Egypt, call a damn archiologist if the feds/federalies can't figure it out.

[bayourod]

The American government is already allocating massive resources to enforcing our border laws. See One Day For CBP

[Riddick]

"Unfortunately some people want resources being used to protect Americans to be diverted to reducing the number of illegal dishwashers and garbage collectors they fear are taking all the good jobs away from them."

Are we to assume that you are so naive as to believe the only jobs that are being taken are dishwashers and garbage collectors? The illegal immigrant issue extends into many more industries.

What about the crime rate associated with illegals? What percentage of the prison population in California is illegal immigrants? Arizona? New Mexico?

There are more issues involved in this topic than just low paying jobs.

[conshack]

" drop a little U-235 in there and let them come on.. at least they will not be popping out babies here "
You represent the anti-Hispanics very well.

Rod, Do you have ANY other response to these threads other than racism? For once, I'd like to hear you say somehting other than your race bating comments.

[conshack]

Could a moderator do something about this post, please. Last time I checked, the "Posting Comment" page says "NO racism."

If that's the standard, Bayourod should have been banned months ago!!!!!

[F16Fighter]

Despite your link supposedly demonstrating "massive resources for enforcing laws," what is totally ignored is the fact that the American Southwestern Border is flung WIDE OPEN to hordes of illegals...

The proof are the thousands who are photographed on a daily basis WITHOUT apprehension.

How many of these people may be Islamo-terrorists?

[TomGuy]

The American government is already allocating massive resources to enforcing our border laws.

Then they need a different strategy or effort, since only 1 in 4 to 10 illegals are detailed, the other 3 to 9 make it across. Some estimate 3 million new illegals per year. That's not loose change; that is serious future problems (and in the not-to-distant future).

[GOP_1900AD]

How hard could it be for a few PRC intelligence assets to come across with them?

[free_european]

Similar tunnels have been found in the area before; typically they are used to traffic drugs not people.

[conshack]

Tom, It's already a very serious problem. The sad part is, only a few states are grossly affected(Ca, AZ, Tx, Nm). It takes a few budget cycles and tax inreases before states begin to analyze data and determine that illegal immigration costs are the reason. The MSM is not interested in covering this either.
Just imagine that if one in every 10,000 illegals were to be a terrorist or sympathiser, just how many terrorists would we have in the USA today?...one in every 100,000?
Then, if the terrorist plotted to kill, lets say 500 people in an attack. Scary.

[nw_arizona_granny]

ping

[HiJinx]

Folks at Texas A&M have developed a fiber-optic system that could be deployed within the year that would make the unnoticed penetration of our border impossible.

Let's see if it gets deployed....

[HiJinx]

undermined by the actual and perceived racist motives

Sir (I know, an assumption) I run the border ping list and consider myself to be pretty much at the forefront of the anti-illegal-immigration anti-porous-border group on FR.

I have some questions and answers for you. Is Arab a race? No. Is Mexican a race? No. Is Hispanic a race? No. There are three recognized races: Caucasian, Negroid, and Mongoloid. Please don't continue the bastardized use of that word, ok? It really hurts when tossed at people who don't deserve it.

Another question....this was found on a well-known people-smuggling trail here in Cochise County. Does it look innocent to you?

Arabic Diary abandoned by young Iranian man found along San Pedro River, 2/09/03. Click the pic for a larger image.

[HiJinx]

Actually, the Border Patrol has apprehended both Chinese and North Korean illegals.

Noone has called them intel agents, but the possibility exists that they were/are/could be...or other groups that certainly do contain agents could have snuck in.

[HiJinx]

IIRC, the article in this morning's Sierra Vista Herald said that the US end was found and that the residence on the Mexican side, as well as a neighboring residence, were searched. Both were unoccupied.

[SandRat]

I think your correct.