WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — Despite pleas from the White House, the surge of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border continues.
In June alone, border agents encountered more than 178,000 migrants, 15,000 of them were unaccompanied children.
White House officials say the administration is putting measures in place to address the surge, including a program that allows would-be migrants to apply for asylum to the U.S. from their home countries.
Along with expedited migrant removals this week, a Trump-era policy remains in place. Title 42 allows border agents to turn migrants away as a COVID-19 safety protocol.
“The Vice President is leading those efforts,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “We don’t expect that to be a switch. But addressing root causes in these countries, corruption, economic downturn, people are fleeing a range of challenges…persecution. Those are issues we need to address at the same time.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Rep. Henry Cuellar (R-Texas) called on the White House to replace Vice President Kamala Harris in her role in overseeing the border with Jeh Johnson, who was former President Obama’s former homeland security secretary.
“Put somebody in charge whose focus is just on the border and all the problems associated with it,” said Graham.
There is no indication the White House is going to listen to that suggestion.