Mashaba, a member of the main opposition DA, which took over running of the city after 2016 municipal elections, has highlighted rooting illegal immigrants among some of his priorities, accusing some of them of being involved in crime.
"Both the department and city agree that the challenge of illegal immigration in Johannesburg has reached crisis level," Mashaba said on Friday.
He condemned xenophobic attacks against foreigners, pledging to ensure that "those who intend perpetuating violence against immigrants, face the full might of the law".
"I welcome foreign nationals into our city and country, and respect the rights of legitimate refugees and asylum-seekers," Mashaba said.
He accused the government of the ruling ANC party of failing in its responsibility to ensure that people entering the country were processed and timeously provided with relevant documentation.
Mashaba, who denies being biased against African immigrants in particular, condemned remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at a summit in Kigali, Rwanda, this week backing open borders and free movement of people across the continent.
Millions of people from troubled African countries have moved to South Africa, fleeing political and economic hardships back home, to the resentment of some locals who accuse them of taking their jobs.
"I see (Ramaphosa's) statements as not only reckless, but also completely devoid of understanding the real challenges we are facing on the ground due to our porous borders," Mashaba said.
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