"If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug [sic] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING...the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week," President Donald Trump tweeted. White House Trump threatens to close the U.S.-Mexico border next week: 'I'm not playing games'

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the U.S-Mexico border next week if Mexico does not stop undocumented immigrants from coming into the United States, later adding that he's "not playing games" with his warning.

But a senior administration official undermined the president's threat, saying the Department of Homeland Security has no plans to close the border next week.


Trump, while speaking to reporters at an event at Lake Okeechobee in Florida, accused Mexico of choosing not to stop migrants coming to the U.S. southern border.

"If they don't stop them, we are closing the border," Trump said. "We will close it and keep it closed for a long time."

"I'm not playing games," he added.

Trump's comments to reporters came after he threatened in a tweet to close the border next week if Mexico does not take action.

"If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug [sic] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING...the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week," the president wrote in a series of tweets.

Shortly after the tweeted threat, a senior administration official said that officers would be redeployed by DHS from ports of entry to other areas to intercept illegal border crossers. The official said that DHS has no active plans to close the border in its entirety.

"It's short, at the moment, of the full closure of any port," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters, adding that Homeland Security will "continue to operationally assess" the situation at the border.

"But I think what the president is making clear is with these numbers if we have to close ports to take care of all of the numbers who are coming, we will do that," Nielsen continued. "It's on the table."

Trump has repeatedly railed against Mexico for not stopping Central American migrants from coming to the United States' southern border and has threatened multiple times to close the border due to caravans over the past year with migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The president had yet to put a timeline on his proposed threat until now, but it's still unclear what a border closure would entail or if it's even possible.

Still, the Trump administration in recent days has ratcheted up its argument that illegal immigration is at crisis levels, and the president himself has described the issue in increasingly personal terms.

During a rally in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Trump mocked refugee-seeking migrants who often tell officials that their lives our in danger back in their home country. "I am afraid for my life," Trump mimicked to a cheering crowd. "It's a big fat con job."

Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on Wednesday claimed the situation at the southern border is at “the breaking point” and his agency is “reluctantly” releasing migrants because of overcrowding at detention facilities.

Trump in February announced a national emergency to allocate funds to build his wall along the border. Congress passed legislation to block the emergency declaration, but the president vetoed it, and the House was unable to override Trump's veto.

"The DEMOCRATS have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S. Therefore, CONGRESS MUST CHANGE OUR WEAK IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S." Trump also tweeted on Friday.

The president claimed it would be easy for Mexico to stop the Central Americans from coming to the United States, and said Mexico just takes "our money and 'talk.'"

"Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!" Trump concluded.

Ian Kullgren contributed to this report.