Trump Border Security Chief: Illegal Immigration a 'Crisis'

U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin McAleenan said that illegal immigration is a "crisis."

Speaking at the 2018 Politico Pro Summit, McAleenan noted the change in the migrant population in recent years to children and families, Politico reported.

"Up through 2011, it was almost exclusively single adults, 90 percent plus … now we’re seeing 40 percent of our border crossers illegally are families and children, a very different demographic, a very different population.

"So when we have a legal framework, an immigration framework, that’s inviting the most vulnerable people in our region, in our hemisphere, into the hands of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world, I would say that’s a crisis,” McAleenan said.

At another point in the interview, McAleenan said that more than 100 deported parents have separated themselves from their children, leaving them behind, Breitbart reported.

"So we’ve seen many (deported) parents — apparently over a hundred already — say that they’d rather have their child stay here. They might have a family member who that child can be placed with in the U.S., but that is the parent’s decision,” McAleenan said.

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