On Tuesday afternoon, a Douglas Police Department officer, who is participating in Operation Stonegarden, along with members of the Douglas Fire Department, provided assistance to U.S. Border Patrol Agents to enter a storm drainage tunnel.
Earlier in the day, Douglas Border Patrol agents saw a man enter a storm drain tunnel near the international boundary fence. They searched potential exit routes north of the border wall, and found a hacksaw next to a storm drain on 4th Street and A Avenue.
With assistance from a Douglas Police officer and the local fire department, agents opened an access panel and entered the tunnel. Inside, they located and arrested a 19-year-old Mexican man. He is now in federal custody and being processed for immigration violations.
Border security operations can quickly turn into rescue missions in the event that a person becomes stuck in a storm drain during the monsoon season. Rain runoff throughout the year can fill storm drains within minutes.
Collaboration between state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies participating in Operation Stonegarden help create a greater force to combat transnational criminal organizations in southern Arizona.