DHS chief welcomes Congressional funding for immigration

(28 Jun 2019) The acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, Friday welcomed the Congressional action that would send to President Donald Trump a bipartisan, Senate-drafted, $4.6 billion measure to care for migrant refugees detained at the southern border. The emergency legislation, required to ease overcrowded, often harsh conditions at U.S. holding facilities for migrants seeking asylum, mostly from Central American nations like Honduras and El Salvador, passed by a bipartisan 305-102 vote. Trump has indicated he'll sign it into law. McAleenan told reporters DHS was hoping that Trum would sign the bill by early next week. Congressional lawmakers' sense of urgency to provide humanitarian aid was amplified by recent reports of conditions in a windowless Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, where more than 300 infants and children were being housed. Many were kept there for weeks and were caring for each other in conditions that included inadequate food, water and sanitation. McAleenan stauncly defended Customs and Border Protection officers and others working on the immigration crisis, "contrary to the reporting children in CBP custody of the border are receiving access to key supplies including toothbrushes, appropriate meals, blankets, showers as soon as they can be provided and medical screening." Responding to the image of a father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande, McAleenan said: "The situation should not be acceptable to any of us." The legislation contains more than $1 billion to shelter and feed migrants detained by the border patrol and almost $3 billion to care for unaccompanied migrant children who are turned over the Department of Health and Human Services. The Border Patrol reported apprehending nearly 133,000 people last month - including many Central American families - as monthly totals have begun topping 100,000 for the first time since 2007. The funding is urgently needed to prevent the humanitarian emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border from worsening. The government had warned that money would run out in a matter of days. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...