US Border Patrol is on track to bust more cartel-operated stash houses in 2023 than last year as it steps up its war on human smuggling, according to agency statistics.

In the last six months, agents have raided 130 houses, leading to over 1,800 illegal migrant arrests in the El Paso region alone, a spokesman said. That’s up from 232 houses and 2,600 arrests in the whole of 2022 in the same area.

It’s a steep increase, considering 397 stash home were found across the entire US-Mexico border in fiscal year 2020.

El Paso, directly on the southern border, continues to be the top location for migrant arrests across the country.

Stash houses are homes, apartments or hotel rooms used to house migrants who have crossed the border illegally and are usually found in border communities, like El Paso and Laredo.

They are the first US stop for an illegal immigrant who has paid a criminal organization to bring them into the country. They are often dangerous and unsanitary.

“Most of them are continuing their voyage to the interior of the US, so before they continue, these [smugglers] utilize the stash houses to hide them before they continue their trek,” Border Patrol Agent Fidel Baca told local TV station KFOX.

But they’re no sanctuary for migrants, who are sometimes kept in abandoned buildings with no air conditioner or working toilets. With as many as 95 people kept in one location, trash often starts piling up — making them filthy.

[“Smugglers] know if they start generating [large amounts] of trash and putting it out on the curb, that’s going to draw attention, so they don’t put out the trash,” the agency said. “It’s kept inside the house.”

In worst case scenarios, migrants are victims of violence during their stay in the stash house and are not free to leave when they want.

“We have children, we have women in these homes, and they are being taken care of by criminals,” Baca said. “A lot of the times [the smugglers] committed serious crimes, crimes against people, crimes of sexual assault, crimes of assault.”

Migrants get to leave the stash house when their ride shows up to take them to their next location. That’s when migrants are packed into a car, truck or big rig. Over the weekend, cops busted a smuggler who has sardined 58 migrants into the back of a Penske box truck.

Last year, 53 migrants died of heat exhaustion in San Antonio, as they tractor trailer they were being smuggled in reached 140 degrees, and they had no way to escape.

Multiple law enforcement agencies in Texas have enlisted the help of residents to turn in smugglers– revealing that some of their best information comes from citizens who report suspicious behavior.

A $5,000 reward is being offered by the Texas Department of Public Safety for anyone who notifies them about stash houses, the state agency said, adding that members of the public often provide the “missing piece of the puzzle.”

“Common things to look out for is homes where you see a lot of activity at odd hours of the night, and then you see nothing during the day,” Baca explained. “Those are often indicators of a stash house. We ask that if you see something that could potentially be dangerous or suspicious to report it. You never know — you might be saving a life.”

The rise in stash house in Texas’s sixth largest city comes at a time when the Border Patrol continues to see record numbers of arrests.

In the just 48 hours, agents stopped 10,070 migrants from coming into the country, the Border Patrol chief tweeted Wednesday.

“Significant numbers for just 2 days,” posted Chief Raul Ortiz.

Since expulsions of asylum seekers from the US has increased with the expansion of order Title 42 in the last six months, desperate migrants are turning to cartels as a way of getting into the country.

The US is on track to have the highest number of migrants crossing the border ever, at least 1.3 million migrants stopped at the border since October, according to US Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the US Border Patrol.

Suspicious activity can be reported to Customs and Border Protection by calling 1-800-635-2509. Reports to the Texas Department of Public Safety can be made at 1-800-252-TIPS.