Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Dramatic declines in illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border are likely linked to the Trump administration's aggressive pursuit of enhanced security measures, the nation's homeland security chief said Sunday.

Citing unprecedented declines of up to 70% in illegal crossings in some areas during the past two months, Homeland Secretary John F. Kelly said the government's focus on the border — from a deportation crackdown in the interior to the preparations for the construction of a wall — has altered traditional traffic flows. (Typically, January and February are busy months for illegal border crossings.)

"The attention being paid to the border has injected enough confusion...that I think they (immigrants) are waiting to see what happens,'' Kelly said on NBC's Meet the Press.

Despite the declines, Kelly continued to defend plans for the construction of President Trump's promised wall, saying that the physical security strategy remained the "first'' priority. In the interior, Kelly acknowledged that authorities were moving swiftly to deport illegals with criminal records, including those whose offenses may not have qualified for immediate removal during the Obama administration. Among those now being targeted are illegals with drunk driving records.

"The definition (of criminality) has not changed,'' Kelly said. "But where on the spectrum of criminality has changed.''

The secretary's comments come just days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions made his first trip to the border where he directed federal prosecutors to bring felony criminal charges against immigrants suspected of multiple illegal entries. Undocumented entry cases have been previously charged as misdemeanors.

"This is a new era," Sessions declared during last week's trip to Nogales, Ariz. "This is the Trump era. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws, and the catch-and-release practices of old are over."

In a memo to U.S. attorneys across the country, Sessions said prosecutors must consider:

• Charging individuals for "bringing in and harboring certain aliens."

• Charging undocumented immigrants with a felony "if they unlawfully enter or attempt to enter a second time and certain aggravating circumstances are present."

• When possible, charging undocumented immigrants "with document fraud and aggravated identity theft."

• Make prosecution of assault on a federal law-enforcement officer "a top priority."

Sessions also announced a plan to hire and deploy 50 new immigration judges to the border this year and 75 more next year to address a massive backlog in immigration appeals. The attorney general, who also noted the declining apprehensions, also defended the need for a wall, describing it as "a force multiplier'' to deter future illegal immigration.

"There is no doubt that the barrier, the wall, will have a great and positive impact,'' he said.

Contributing: Rafael Carranza, Arizona Republic