During his visit to the border in Calexico, California last week, President Trump told the then-head of Customs and Border Patrol, Kevin McAleenan, who is now the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, that he would pardon him if he were jailed for violating immigration law, CNN reported Friday.

According to officials briefed on the conversation, Trump told McAleenan he would “pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying U.S. entry to migrants,” one of the officials said. It was unclear if the exchange was a joke, CNN reported.