The Population and Immigration Authority reported Sunday that 2,931 people entered Israel illegally through its border with Egypt in December.

This is a record number, it said.

Minister of Interior Eli Yishai said in response that the situation is “unbearable,” according to Ma’ariv/NRG. He added: “Action needs to be taken to erect holding facilities in the infiltrators’ countries of origin and to speed up negotiations with the African countries.”

Yishai added that he had spoken to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and asked him to repatriate all infiltrators to their countries of origin, including Eritrea and Southern Sudan, and stressed that this must be done before the fence and holding facility are completed in southern Israel.

“We must act to stem the flow,” he said.

The minister, who is also the Shas party’s chairman, stressed: “I spoke to the Prime Minister and asked to accelerate the negotiations vis-à-vis the African states with the purpose of returning all of the infiltrators, until the very last one, to their homelands – as soon as possible.”