Underground routes marketed on TikTok show how smugglers keep the migrant pipeline alive through Ciudad Juárez.
Criminal groups continue targeting migrants with underground crossing “deals”
Ciudad Juárez — Despite heightened border security and joint U.S.-Mexico efforts to locate illegal border tunnels, transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) continue to offer unauthorized border crossings into the United States, promoting “safe” travel packages starting at $1,500.
“Safe journey from $1,500, we’ll get you through the tunnel,” “five-minute walk through the tunnel,” “cross in under 15 minutes via Juárez and you’re in America,” are just a few of the offers made by smugglers — known as “coyotes,” “polleros,” or “recruiters” — on social media.
Though these posts don’t show actual footage of tunnels, they do feature supposed migrant testimonies. One woman, identifying herself as Anahí, claims she made it to Albuquerque and thanks “El Negro” for helping her cross. Her video, dated February 28, was reposted by the smuggler on March 31 via TikTok, with a caption reading: “$1,500 trip, we cross through tunnel.”
After authorities discovered a transborder tunnel on January 10 beneath the Rio Grande near Border Marker 28 behind the Plaza de la Mexicanidad, U.S. and Mexican agencies began sweeping the area in search of more — but found nothing.
U.S. federal agencies involved in the operations include the FBI, CBP, DEA, HSI, and consular intelligence teams. On the Mexican side, the National Guard, SEDENA, AEI, and state and municipal police participated in the search stretching from “El Punto” to City Hall.
The National Guard also searched the Rio Grande levee and central median of Juan Pablo II Boulevard — from Francisco Villarreal Avenue to Calzada del Río — but no new tunnels were discovered.
Meanwhile, other smugglers continue to share content on Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok showing irregular crossings from Ciudad Juárez, including the use of makeshift ladders, wire fence breaches, and sprints across the river.
“Crossing by ladder and bridge?” one smuggler advertises. Another promotes “guaranteed drop-offs via Ciudad Juárez” and flights from other parts of Mexico to Juárez. One boasts: “We’re still shipping boxes to the U.S.,” referring to migrants, while offering packages ranging from $3,500 to $6,500.
According to the latest U.S. Border Patrol data, there were 36,092 migrant apprehensions in the El Paso Sector during the first five months of fiscal year 2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Feb 28, 2025) — down 69.9% from 119,916 during the same period in FY 2024.
In February 2025, the average number of migrants apprehended per day was 75.35. That figure dropped to approximately 40 daily in March, according to the Border Patrol.
