U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson led a federal team Friday to tour immigration detentions and shelter facilities in the south central U.S. state of Texas, in a bid to quell a recent spike of illegal border crossings by unaccompanied minors from Central America.

Johnson's visit came amid an immigration crisis as tens of thousands of children crossed the America-Mexico border without parents, hoping to stay in the country legally, for rumors that the United States is issuing permits to migrants caught trying to cross the border with children.

More than 52,000 unaccompanied minors have been caught along the southwest border so far this fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, 2013 and ends on Sept. 30, 2014. The figure is almost double last year's total, authorities said. The influx of children are predominantly from Central America, including Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Johnson told the media Friday that U.S. officials are working with their counterparts in the region to alert parents of the risk of illegal crossing, media reports said.

The Homeland Security Department also said Friday that it will open new detention facilities in New Mexico to accommodate immigrant families caught crossing the border illegally.

More than 160,000 apprehensions of migrants from Central American countries other than Mexico have been reported in the first eight months of this fiscal year -- eclipsing the totals for at least the last 17 fiscal years for which the Border Patrol has such statistics available, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Texas is the second most populous of the 50 U.S. states, only after California.