DHS needs 'modern border management,’ Mayorkas says in 2022 budget proposal

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Friday that one of the department's top fiscal year 2022 spending priority is what he called “modern border management.”

The proposal comes as the White House grapples with an influx of immigrants trying to enter the U.S. along the Mexico border — and struggles with how to house them once they're here. U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 172,000 people trying to enter the country illegally in March, up from the 100,441 in February, according to administration officials' analysis of the numbers released this week. "The President’s FY 2022 discretionary funding request will reinforce the basic missions of securing our homeland, including preventing terrorism; securing and managing our borders; repairing the broken immigration system; safeguarding critical infrastructure; and strengthening national preparedness," Mayorkas said.