Over 140 Illegal Migrants Found in Two Stash Houses

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

EL PASO (News Release) – U.S. Border Patrol Agents from the Ysleta station encounter more than 140 smuggled migrants in two stash houses on Sunday.

The first group was found during the early hours of Sunday near North Loop Drive and North Zaragoza Road. Ysleta Border Patrol Station agents received information regarding a possible stash house in that area. When agents arrived, they located 51 migrants inside the residence. The illegal migrants were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. All were found to be in good health. Two of the migrants, Mexican nationals, were identified by agents as the caretakers of the residence. Both will be facing federal charges for the smuggling scheme.

The second group was found around noon when Ysleta agents along with the Texas Department of Public Safety encountered 94 smuggled migrants inside a second stash house. Agents received information, from interviews from the previous stash house, about the property possibly harboring migrants located near North Loop Drive and North Carolina Drive in El Paso, Texas. When agents arrived at the location, they encountered 94 migrants from Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador. All migrants were found in good health despite being housed in deplorable conditions.

All migrants encountered were processed under Title 42 or Title 8 authority.

Fiscal Year 2023, El Paso Sector human smuggling interdiction teams have uncovered over 130 stash houses in the region with over 1,800 migrants.

“The citizens in our local El Paso community provide an important partnership to help us safeguard our city. We encourage anyone with information to report suspicious activity to our office. That one phone call could help save many lives,” said Anthony “Scott” Good, El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635- 2509.