Border Patrol agents find 171 migrants hidden in 4 stash houses throughout El Paso County

U.S. Border Patrol agents found 171 migrants hidden in four stash houses throughout El Paso County, officials said.

Agents with the Border Patrol's Anti-Smuggling Unit, along with troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, received information Feb. 26 about a possibly stash house near Fairbanks Drive and U.S. 54 in Northeast El Paso, U.S. Border Patrol officials said.

Agents found 50 migrants from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador inside the car garage at the house. The migrants were being kept in "deplorable conditions," officials said.

The migrants were found to be in good health and were detained to be processed for deportation, officials said.

Two Mexico citizens were detained on suspicion of smuggling and will face prosecution in Texas state court, officials said.

Agents received more information Tuesday about a stash house in Central El Paso.

Agents found 25 migrants at the stash house located near Pershing Drive and U.S. 54, officials said. The migrants were from Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.

An unaccompanied juvenile from Mexico also was found in the group, officials said.

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The migrants were medically evaluated and found in good health, officials said.

On Wednesday, agents who had received information through a previous stash house investigation found 78 migrants crammed inside a small house near Paisano Drive and Frutas Avenue in South-Central El Paso, officials said.

The migrants were from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. The group included three unaccompanied juveniles from Guatemala. The migrants were found in good health.

The "smuggling facilitator" was detained and will face federal prosecution for smuggling, officials said.

Agents also raided a stash house Thursday in Horizon City where they found 18 migrants who had been smuggled into the U.S., officials said.

The migrants were from Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras and Guatemala.

The investigation into the stash house revealed one of the migrants from Ecuador had a prior conviction for second degree rape of a child from New York in 2014, officials said.

The Ecuadorian will face charges for the illegal re-entry, officials said.

All migrants detained in the four stash house busts will be deported to Mexico under Title 42 or transported to theCentral Processing Center to be processed under Title 8.

U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector agents have busted 95 stash houses, resulting in the discovery of more than 1,200 migrants illegally in the U.S. in the 2023 fiscal year, which started in October, officials said.

“Our multi-layer and whole of government approach, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners has been crucial to our border security mission," U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector acting Chief Patrol Agent Peter Jaquez said in a statement. "We will continue to work together to disrupt Transnational Criminal Organizations and their illicit activity in this border region. I am grateful for our community and local law enforcement support and partnerships.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials urge community members to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol by calling 1-800-635-2509. Community members can remain anonymous.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Border Patrol in El Paso County busts stash houses, finds 171 migrants