Over 350,000 people detained while illegally crossing border into U.S. in 2017

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Border Patrol detained a total of 351,084 people attempting illegal crossings in 2017, showing a 40-percent decrease from the previous year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday.

"The final border apprehension numbers of 2017, specifically at the southern border, undeniably prove the effectiveness of President (Donald) Trump's commitment to securing our borders," said DHS Acting Press Secretary Tyler Houlton in a statement.

"This administration has overseen a 40 percent decrease in 2017 compared with the last year of Obama's presidency," said Houlton.

Border apprehension numbers are used as the standard indicator for the number of illegal crossing attempts in the United States.

"The significant increase over the last month in the number of family units and unaccompanied children coming across the border illegally highlights the dire need for Congress to immediately adopt responsible pro-American immigration reforms," said Houlton.

Trump and congressional bipartisan leadership met at the White House on Tuesday in negotiations over a replacement for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and border security measures to accompany it.

The president has said he won't sign a DACA fix without funding for his proposed border wall.

Trump campaigned on a promise to build a "big, beautiful wall" on the border to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking, and promised Mexico would pay for it. Congress hasn't agreed to spend any money on the project, and Mexico has repeatedly said it won't fund the wall. Enditem