As border security challenges continue, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) is drawing attention to underground tunnels used by drug cartels, comparing their tactics to tunnel networks seen in places like Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
In an exclusive interview with Cactus Politics, Crane, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he has received classified briefings on tunnel systems operating beneath the border.
“There’s also technology that has been funded in the past, and I know we funded in the big beautiful bill, to alert homeland security and border operations when new tunnels are being built,” he said.
He noted the U.S. has worked with Israel to develop underground‑detection tools.
“We partnered with Israel on that as well because they have a tunnel problem themselves,” Crane said, adding that the issue gets little public attention “because it’s not something that you see”
Background Context
Israel’s experience with underground tunnels has become significant in how hidden networks can shape modern conflict.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, has built an estimated 350 to 450 miles of tunnels under the enclave, often referred to as the “Gaza Metro.” The system runs beneath communities. Crane warned that cartels are adapting in similar ways as U.S. border enforcement becomes tougher.
“Cartels aren’t going to throw their hands up and stop their multi‑million‑dollar business,” he said. “They’re going to find other ways around, and one of the best ways is to use tunnels.”
Along the southern border, tunnels remain a problem that’s mostly out of sight.
Officials have discovered multiple tunnels, some equipped with electricity and ventilation systems. While smaller in scale than Gaza’s, officials view this as a growing security concern. He expressed fear that America’s southern border could become its own “underground front line.”
For Congressman Crane, the silence around the issue is part of the problem; he wants it brought into the national conversation
