Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson blasted Rep. Duncan Hunter 's suggestion that ISIS fighters have crossed the United States ' southern border into Texas . `` Let 's not unduly create fear and anxiety in the public by passing on speculation and rumor , '' Johnson said Wednesday on CNN 's `` Situation Room . '' Hunter , a California Republican , claimed on Fox News on Tuesday night that he 'd learned from Border Patrol officers that at least 10 ISIS fighters had been caught trying to cross the Mexican border -- and that `` you know there 's going to be dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol . '' Johnson said those claims are n't supported by `` credible , specific intelligence to that effect . '' He said public officials should `` be responsible in what we decide to share with the American public , so that the public is informed . '' His comments came after a Homeland Security spokeswoman called Hunter 's statement `` categorically false . '' `` I look at the intelligence reports from overseas , from our southern border , from our intelligence community virtually every day , numerous times a day , to be on the lookout for something of that nature , '' Johnson said . U.S. winning fight against ISIS recruiting , official says . `` So what I would say to the American public is , we 're vigilant in looking out for individuals of suspicion that may be crossing our border , and we have no specific intelligence that ISIL is planning to come into the U.S. through our southern border , '' he said , using another acronym for ISIS . Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper said the congressman stands by his comments . `` A high level source informed the congressman -- it was also said that DHS is actively discouraging any talk of IS on the border , '' Kasper said . `` The congressman was conveying what he knows -- and what he was told , '' he said . `` And as for DHS ' statement , it makes sense that the left hand of DHS does n't know what the right hand is doing -- it 's been that way for a long time and we do n't expect that to change . No surprise there . '' Self-funded and deep-rooted : How ISIS makes its millions .
Homeland Security secretary says ISIS fighters have n't crossed into the U.S. Rep. David Hunter said Tuesday that at least 10 had crossed the southern border . Congressman Jeh Johnson called those claims ` ` speculation and rumor ''