Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen warned on Sunday that cartels would try to exploit the illegal alien caravan moving toward the United States border with Mexico to infiltrate members.

Cartels are already heavily involved in moving illegal aliens and drugs into the U.S. and, given the confusion and chaos associated with the caravan, would surely see a golden opportunity to sneak cartel members into the country.

“While we closely monitor the caravan crisis, we must remain mindful of the transnational criminal organizations and other criminals that prey on the vulnerabilities of those undertaking the irregular migration journey,” Mr. Nielsen said in a statement Sunday.

“We fully support the efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, as they seek to address this critical situation and ensure a safer and more secure region,” the secretary said.

Those efforts have failed in Mexico, where approximately 2,000 illegals are still moving toward the U.S. border after barging into the country on Friday. Mexican police tried to stop the human wave but after scuffling at a border crossing with Guatemala, Mexican police basically gave up.

Thousands of migrants reached the Guatemala-Mexico border on Friday, breaking through a fence on the Guatemala side of a bridge separating the two countries. On the Mexican side of the bridge, they were met by Mexican police in riot gear. Others, meanwhile, waded into the Suchiate River or took rafts to get to Mexico. Many of the migrants are seeking refugee status in either Mexico or the United States. The Mexican Interior Ministry said on Saturday that 640 Honduran migrants have requested refuge in Mexico. It also said that priority attention would be given “164 women, some of them in advanced stage of pregnancy; 104 girls, boys and teenagers, who are from 3 months old to 17 years old; as well as older adults who have varying degrees of disability. This group includes a minor who traveled alone.”

It should be obvious now that the caravan is under the direction of some very savvy people. Women, children, pregnant women — all appear to be positioned at the front of the caravan to discourage any enforcement action by governments.

Will that work at the U.S. southern border? Not likely, says Trump.

I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S….. ….In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught – and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!..

The leaders of those Central American countries have no intention of stopping the flow of illegals to the U.S., and neither does Mexico, which is making sure the caravan will reach its intended target — the U.S. border.

No one wants to see the military square off against unarmed people. But the U.S. government has an absolute, sovereign right to determine who comes into the U.S. and who doesn’t. Secretary Nielsen has given one very good reason why we should stop this caravan before it enters the U.S. But, at bottom, we don’t need an excuse to enforce the laws of the U.S. as they relate to our borders.