Jeh Johnson

doing nothing is not an option.

our border is not open to illegal migration.

There is no path to deferred action or citizenship, or one being contemplated by Congress, for a child who crosses our border illegally today.

I have personally issued an open letter to the parents of those who are sending their children from Central America to the United States.

We are stressing that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, does not apply to children who arrive now or in the future in the United States.

I have directed my staff to be forthright in bringing to me every conceivable, lawful option for consideration to address this problem.

It is dangerous to send a child on the long journey from Central America to the United States.

As Secretary Johnson said on June 24, this is a humanitarian issue as much as it is a matter of border security.

DACA is for kids who have been in this country for 7 years, not for somebody who crosses the border today...

I believe that in a number of respects, we have a very valuable relationship with the government of Mexico...

To be clear, we face an urgent situation in the RGV.

We need to have secure borders, absolutely, if that is your question.

we can all agree that America cannot imprison children in such appalling conditions and deprive them of the protections of law.

the criminal smuggling networks that you pay to deliver your child to the United States have no regard for his or her safety and well-being

to return the children to their home countries without adequately assessing their needs would be unconscionable.

we urge you to provide CBP and other Government agencies in whose custody unaccompanied children are placed with additional resources needed to meet the basic human needs of children.

I do believe that if comprehensive immigration reform is passed, the uncertainty that may be existing in people's minds about our law gets resolved.

I believe that our current system is broken and totally unsatisfactory.

I have asked for greater clarity on the numbers, particularly the 116 in Fiscal Year 2013 who appear to have been released after a homicide conviction.

The bill passed by the Senate last year by a vote of 68-32 I think addresses the problems we have.

I do agree that it is something that is an emerging threat that we all need to focus on.

I think you know that I have spent a lot of time working on expediting travel across the northern border.

I would like to also say that it is obviously the policy of the Administration that we should close the detention facility Guantanamo.

Yes. I believe that the existence of Guantanamo as a detention facility represents an issue of national security.

My political loyalty is to him. I have a higher obligation to the law, to the Constitution and the laws duly enacted by this Congress.