US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that separating migrant families on the border could deter illegal immigration, saying he was considering several options to tighten border security.
Last June, Trump abandoned his policy of separating migrant children from their parents on the border between the United States and Mexico after images of children in cages angered both at home and abroad.
But some Trump officials said the policy, in which 2600 children were separated from their parents, was necessary to secure borders and deter illegal migration, as the US president seemed to support this argument.
"If they feel there will be a breakup, they do not come," Trump told reporters at the White House.
He added that the migrants were "carrying with them children and use them to enter our country in many cases."
"We look forward to many different things related to illegal immigration," he said, calling once again Congress to pass the immigration law. "We will do everything in our power to bring it down," he said.
A new policy could make illegal immigration a central theme in November 6 congressional elections, where Democrats are believed to have a good chance of regaining control of the House of Representatives.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Waldman said on Saturday that there was a crisis on the Mexican-American border as more adults entered the country illegally with children.
"The DHS will continue to enforce the law humanely and will continue to study a range of options to secure the borders of our country," she said.
