As media reports have indicated a sharp drop in the number of immigrants trying to cross the southern border illegally, President Trump has heaped praise upon his teams at Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.

The president was especially impressed with his new Homeland Security Chief, U.S. Marine Corps General (Ret) John Kelly:

General Kelly is doing a great job at the border. Numbers are way down. Many are not even trying to come in anymore. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2017

Secretary Kelly, who made his first public speech on Tuesday at George Washington University, has no apparent plans to slow down — in fact, he says we can’t afford to.

The Hill reported:

“Make no mistake — we are a nation under attack,” Kelly said at George Washington University in his first major public speech since taking the helm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “We are under attack from people who hate us, hate our freedoms, hate our laws, hate our values, hate the way we simply live our lives. And we are under attack every single day,” he warned. “The threats are relentless.”

In addition to the retired General’s resolve to push back against every threat, he’s also made it clear that he’d like the critics — particularly those in Congress — to get out of his way.

In an apparent allusion to widespread outcry that followed the first executive order, which temporarily banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, Kelly dinged lawmakers for criticizing the agency personnel responsible for carrying out U.S. policies. Personnel are “often ridiculed and insulted by public officials, and frequently convicted in the court of public opinion on unfounded allegations testified to by street lawyers and spokespersons,” Kelly said. “If lawmakers do not like the laws they’ve passed and we are charged to enforce — then they should have the courage and skill to change the laws. Otherwise, they should shut up and support the men and women on the front lines.”

Kelly concluded his remarks with a promise: “We will never apologize for enforcing and upholding the law. We will never apologize for carrying out our mission. We will never apologize for making our country more secure.”