(NewsNation) — NewsNation’s Ali Bradley reports from the border daily. One week into the new Trump administration, rapid changes are happening at the border and across the country.
Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez, Sheriff Mark Dannels, Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland and retired ICE agent Victor Avila, among others, joined Bradley to answer viewer questions live.
The panel discussed increased military presence at the border, the creation of new smuggling tunnels, public safety concerns and more.
More border tunnels built as smugglers return to ‘old methods’
Under the southern border, there are tunnels you can walk in for hours on end — and more are being made, officials tell NewsNation.
“I got a call yesterday that there’s more tunnels,” said Victor Avila, retired ICE/HIS supervisory special agent, during a live Q&A Monday.
Though details were scarce, Avila told NewsNation “a couple more” tunnels were discovered west of El Paso, Texas, recently, seemingly in response to a border crackdown under President Donald Trump.
Art Del Cueto, the vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, said tunnel use will increase as security tightens under the Trump administration.
“The cartels are going to find a way to get their product across, and tunnels are going to be their thing,” Cueto said on the livestream.
