Department of Homeland Security press secretary Tyler Houlton warned potential illegal immigrants that Customs and Border Patrol will show “zero tolerance” for adults seeking to cross the border.

Houlton’s statement came after CBP released data pertaining to April 2018 border crossings, which were up more than 200 percent compared to April 2017. (RELATED: Illegal Immigration Back To Obama Levels – 200 Percent Surge Compared To April 2017)

“If you enter our country illegally, you have broken the law and will be referred for prosecution,” he wrote. “DHS has zero tolerance for those who break the law and will no longer exempt classes or groups of individuals from prosecution. Whether you are a single adult or an adult member of a family unit, if you are apprehended you will be prosecuted and put in removal proceedings.”

Houlton pledged that DHS has “taken recent steps to surge the necessary resources – such as asylum officers, immigration judges, prosecutors, and ICE attorneys – to promptly adjudicate cases through our civil immigration system or through criminal prosecution.”

“To those seeking to abuse our generous laws – we are watching,” he continued. “We will not sit back and watch our laws exploited. If you make a false immigration claim, you will be referred for prosecution. If you assist or coach individuals in making false immigration claims, you will be referred for prosecution.”

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