DHS chief says situation at U.S.-Mexico border is a challenge more acute than ever before

Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that the surge in unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border poses an unprecedented challenge because of actions taken under former President Donald Trump, as critics accuse the current White House of being unprepared for a humanitarian crisis at the nation’s doorstep.

“There was a system in place in both Republican and Democratic administrations that was torn down during the Trump administration, and that is why the challenge is more acute than it ever has been before,” Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Mayorkas appeared on CNN, NBC and Fox on Sunday to defend the administration of President Joe Biden as it faces scrutiny over record numbers of children being held in jail-like Customs and Border Protection facilities, including thousands beyond the 72-hour legal limit.