Ropes, pulleys and ladders: How people cross the border illegally

(NewsNation) — As the number of migrants crossing the southern border illegally has risen, migrants and smugglers have gone to great lengths to avoid being caught by Customs and Border Protection.

For smugglers, bringing people across the border is big business, with cartels taking in billions of dollars per year as they smuggle drugs and people into the U.S.

For migrants, it’s a desperate attempt to flee poverty and violence in their home countries as they seek opportunities in the U.S.

In an effort to make it into the U.S. without going through legal ports of entry, smugglers and migrants have resorted to often dangerous methods to reach the U.S. Here are some of the ways NewsNation has witnessed people trying to make it across the southern border.

Scaling the Wall

As President Joe Biden recently waived laws to allow construction on the border wall in Texas, existing sections of the wall have not always proven to be a deterrent for those determined to make it into the U.S.

Rope and Pulley Systems

In some cases, smugglers have created assembly line-like systems that use ropes and pullies to hoist groups of people over the wall quickly.

Through the Desert

The areas between points of entry can be isolated. That makes it more difficult for CBP to patrol, creating an opportunity for smugglers to get people across, but it also means migrants face serious and sometimes deadly conditions due to heat and lack of water.

Boats

The majority of migrants crossing the southern border come through Mexico, entering the U.S. in Texas, Arizona or California but others come by sea. Key West, Florida, is just 90 miles from Havana, Cuba, making it the main destination for those arriving by boat.

Tunnels

Cartels have dug tunnels that pass under the border wall in some locations, allowing them to move drugs and people across the border undetected.

Storm Drains

Storm drains are another way smugglers bypass the border wall, a dangerous option as narrow pipes and metal grates over openings mean migrants risk getting stuck and drowning.

Over Floating Barriers

The Biden administration is in court over the construction of a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, where barbed wire and floating objects create risks of injury or drowning. Those risks don’t always stop people from crossing, even when they have babies with them.

Under Barbed Wire

Crawling under barbed wire comes with significant hazards, but people still attempt to evade detection, even having young toddlers crawl under the wire while covered with a cardboard box for protection.

Abandoning Children

Families may send minors to the border without related adults, in some cases with hopes of uniting the child with family members already in the U.S. In some cases, unaccompanied children have been found as young as two months old.