Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said there are currently about 41,000 individuals in our immigration detention facilities, a big jump from the typical 31,000 to 34,000 figure. | Getty U.S. sees spike in apprehensions along southern border

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday reported that there’s been a spike in the number of people apprehended along the southern border, adding to the complexity of the immigration situation that President-elect Donald Trump will inherit.

Johnson said there currently are about 41,000 individuals in our immigration detention facilities, a big jump from the typical 31,000 to 34,000 figure.


“Recently, we have seen an increase in the numbers of those apprehended on the southern border. I have instructed our border security and immigration enforcement personnel to take steps to keep pace with this increase,” Johnson said in a statement.

It’s unclear whether the number rose because more people are trying to cross the border or because the Department of Homeland Security has stepped up enforcement efforts.

While Trump has railed against the situation along the U.S.-Mexico border, likening it to a “sieve,” President Barack Obama cut a reputation as a tough enforcer of immigration laws, and was even called “deporter in chief.”

Still, Trump made border security core to his campaign message, promising to build a border wall and to create a mass deportation force.

Since he’s been elected, however, Trump has gotten wobbly on his wall, saying parts of it could be a fence instead. He also did not mention the wall-building effort in his video released earlier this week laying out his top priorities for his first days in office.