Fox News has reported on an underground network of storm drains beneath El Paso, Texas, which US Border Patrol agents say is being exploited by cartels to smuggle migrants illegally into the country. Agents describe the tunnel system, originally built for flood control, as effectively "a city underneath our city," highlighting how criminal networks have adapted existing infrastructure to move people undetected across the border. The report underscores ongoing concerns about the sophistication of smuggling operations and the risks migrants face when relying on them.

Correspondent Brooke Taylor's investigation found the drains to be hot, dark and extremely confined, posing serious dangers to those who pass through them. Smugglers are reportedly now charging migrants a premium of between $20,000 and $30,000 for passage via this route, reflecting the perceived value of using a hidden, harder-to-detect method of entry. The findings add to broader reporting on cartel-run smuggling networks along the US-Mexico border and the increasingly high costs and risks migrants face.