Story highlights Kelly says Trump has told him to focus on two specific issues related to illegal immigration

The Homeland Security secretary said his "plea" to Congress is to pass legislation to deal with the issue

Washington (CNN) The Department of Homeland Security is not targeting "dreamers" for deportation, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Sunday, telling CNN's Dana Bash that the department has "many, many more important criminals to go after and get rid of."

Speaking on "State of the Union," Kelly said President Donald Trump has told him to focus on two specific issues related to illegal immigration, and neither include deporting so-called dreamers, or undocumented immigrants who were brought into the United States as children and grew up in the country.

"The President told me to do two things," Kelly said. "He told me to secure the Southwest border -- all of our borders, and, of course, focusing now on the Southwest border -- and to take the worst of those that are in our country illegally, take them -- look for them and deport them. So that's what I'm doing."

Earlier this week Trump remarked that dreamers should "rest easy," the latest statement of his to indicate his administration won't take a hardline approach to dealing with the group.

Speaking about his immigration policy with The Associated Press , Trump said his administration is "not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals."

Read More