EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Portions of an illegal border tunnel discovered on Jan. 9 between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, remain unfilled due to engineering challenges posed by the Rio Grande.
On Tuesday, employees of the Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (CILA, in Spanish) were observed using sonar equipment and other machines on the Rio Grande levee near Gate 28 of the U.S. border wall.
The workers mapped the area and dug small holes on the levee in preparation for a concrete pour in the portion of the quarter-mile long tunnel that goes under the Rio Grande, CILA staff members told Border Report news partner ProVideo.
U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Army National Guard troops could be seen on the north banks of the river observing the work going on in Mexico.
A spokesman for the Border Patrol said the tunnel has been sealed with concrete on the American side of the river. The agency was notified that Mexico will be doing remediation work on their side to fill what’s left of the tunnel.
CILA officials said the entrance to the tunnel, which is a few feet from a six-lane highway in Juarez, has been sealed as have a few other strategic portions. Fill work near the river requires much planning so as to not disturb the levee, ProVideo was told.
The Mexican National Guard and the Chihuahua state police continue their investigation into who built the tunnel. No arrests have been announced.
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