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  4. Cross-Border Tunnel Discovered in Nogales, Arizona

Cross-Border Tunnel Discovered in Nogales, Arizona

Release Date
Tue, 08/30/2016

TUCSON, Ariz. – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents participated in a bi-national inspection of a drainage system beneath the international border of Nogales, near the DeConcini Port of Entry, on Aug. 26 after Mexican officials became suspicious of an opening located in a cemetery in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

The unfinished tunnel connected Nogales, Sonora, Mexico with Nogales, Ariz.
The unfinished tunnel connected Nogales,
Sonora, Mexico, with Nogales, Ariz.

Agents from the Nogales Border Patrol station, in cooperation with Mexican authorities, investigated the tunnel and confirmed that a 20x20 inch opening was an unfinished tunnel. Agents also reported that the tunnel traveled 5 feet down on a vertical angle, then extended north below the international border and approximately 46 feet into the United States.

Inside the tunnel, agents found digging tools, power cords, a gas-powered generator, and a small swamp cooler for ventilation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Mar 15, 2024