Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Friday that a program he instituted to close the border under his department’s control resulted in a 4,000 percent increase in arrests of undocumented migrants.

What’s more, the agency is dispatching Interior officers to help President Trump’s plan to intercept the caravan of illegals heading to the southern border.

“The fact that we were able to increase arrests by almost 4,000 percent is undeniable proof that there's a big problem. Under the previous administration, Interior's borderlands were basically an open door for illegal activity; and, what few law enforcement officers were down there were left unprotected and without the resources and backup needed to keep communities and themselves safe,” said Zinke in a statement.



4,000% increase in arrests of illegal aliens on @Interior borderlands under @realDonaldTrump administration. https://t.co/dOnFdnQJYb — Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) November 9, 2018



The arrests by the agency that hadn't done arrests in the past were part of a pilot program by Interior to work with the border patrol to stop illegals from crossing on park land. Interior agencies are responsible for about 40 percent of the border.

In six months, Interior law enforcement officers tallied:



4,010 apprehensions have been made and turned over to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol

224 turn-backs (Were coming into the U.S., but turned around when they saw law enforcement)

469 apprehended on non-federal lands

2,356 pounds of drugs seized

Several vehicles, firearms, and other items confiscated

The 4,000 percent increase compares the first six months of the surge (2018) to the same six months of the last year of the Obama Administration (2016), and assesses the same geographic areas.

“The first six months of the border surge proved that there is a huge problem with illegal crossings on Interior lands and that a prolonged and more robust operation is needed until the wall is completed,” said Zinke, adding, “We will increase our presence on the border in targeted regions and provide additional assistance to teams deploying in response to the oncoming caravan.”