War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the department “is once again defending our borders as a priority of our national defense.”

“With our law enforcement partners, we are defending our borders and making our streets safe again,” Hegseth said at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at the U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, Florida.

“Crossings at our southern border, at the US-Mexico border, have dropped to the lowest number in history. Murders nationwide have plummeted by more than 20%. We now have operational control of our southern border,” Hegseth said. “Under President Trump, for the first time in history, Department of War is on the offense against narco terrorists as well.”

“President Trump has reestablished the Monroe Doctrine, the Trump Corollary of the Monroe Doctrine. Or, if you’d like, for short, you can just call it the ‘Donroe Doctrine’,” Hegseth said. “Under President Trump, securing America’s interest in the Western Hemisphere and keeping our homeland safe are our top national security priorities.”

Hegseth said Trump’s “historic National Defense Strategy ensures that the Department of War will prioritize resources around the threats and objectives that are core to homeland defense, and the people and prosperity of the American people.”