WASHINGTON 

The US has seen zero illegal border crossings for three consecutive months, said the nation’s Homeland Security secretary on Friday.

"We have had for three months in a row, zero illegal aliens entering the United States, which is the first time in this nation's history that we've seen that kind of security at our nation's border," Kristi Noem told a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, drawing a contrast to former President Joe Biden, who Republican charged had an “open border.”

The administration has been working on getting "dangerous criminal illegal aliens" out of the country, said Noem.

"Murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, human traffickers, going out, arresting them and removing them from our communities so that our families can be safe again at night," she added.

Critics of the administration say that on the contrary, in order to reach quotas of making thousands of immigration arrests a day, the administration is targeting people who have been in the US for decades with no criminal records, hardworking employees, and people who have made homes and raised families.

Securing the borders and arresting "dangerous criminals" are the top priorities of the administration, Noem said, adding that hundreds of thousands of these illegal “criminals” have been arrested.

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has intensified immigration crackdowns, increasing detention and deportations as part of his enforcement agenda.

Immigrants have often been swiftly deported in recent months, leaving them no legal recourse to challenge their removal, or they have been taken to facilities far from their homes, with no access to legal counsel.