McALLEN, Texas — The newly appointed head of the Department of Homeland Security traveled to this border city to see the challenges faced by the agents under his command as the new administration is expected to take a hard line on border security.

During the visit, DHS Secretary John Kelly met with Texas Governor Greg Abbot, Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw and U.S. Border Patrol RGV Sector Chief Manuel Padilla. The group has been meeting with various law enforcement officials and is expected to visit various facilities and border regions.

Kelly, a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps General, was recently appointed as Secretary of Homeland Security by U.S. President Donald J. Trump. The appointment comes at a time when border security, Mexican drug cartels and the ongoing immigration crisis have become a focal point of the current administration.

As Breitbart Texas has been reporting, under the administration of former President Barack Obama, DHS implemented the Priority Enforcement Program, which rather than help stem the flow of undocumented immigrants from Central America, actually resulted in record setting crossings. Ending the PEP and other similar programs will likely be some of the first challenges faced by Kelly.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.