"I have told our border security and immigration enforcement personnel that we must keep pace with this increase," Johnson said in a statement.
He claimed border and immigration services were trying to cope with the problem by detaining illegal immigrants and calling for other countries to "repatriate their citizens more quickly."
"As a result, there are currently about 41,000 individuals in our immigration detention facilities — typically, the number in immigration detention fluctuates between 31,000 and 34,000 — and I have authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement to acquire additional detention space for single adults so that those apprehended at the border can be returned to their home countries as soon as possible," he said.
"Our borders cannot be open to illegal migration. We must, therefore, enforce the immigration laws consistent with our priorities," Johnson asserted.
However, Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said Johnson's declaration that the border cannot be open "is thoroughly insincere and meaningless," the Washington Times reported.
It's worth noting that the increase in illegal immigration followed Trump's announcement that he would crack down on illegal immigrants. He said Thursday that border security remains a top priority for his early days in office.
