Acting US Border Patrol Chief Sanders to Resign on July 5 - Letter

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2019) Acting US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner John Sanders on Tuesday told employees at the agency that he will resign from his post effective July 5.

"As some of you are aware, yesterday, I offered my resignation to [acting Department of Homeland Security] Secretary [Kevin] McAleenan, effective Friday, July 5," Sanders said in a letter to CBP employees.

The outgoing commissioner said that helping the amazing men and women of CPB has been the most fulfilling and satisfying opportunity of his career.

Sanders' resignation follows recent media reports criticizing the government for keeping migrant children in poor conditions in US custody.

Last week, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urged Congress to approve emergency funding to help the agency cope with the high number of migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border before resources are completely exhausted by July.

Azar highlighted that the rate of unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the US-Mexico border has doubled in 2019 as compared to last year.

Caravans of migrants from Central American countries seeking asylum began to move toward the United States through Mexico last fall. Trump has called the surge of arrivals a crisis and declared a national emergency in February to secure funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico.

Sanders replaced McAleenan, who was appointed acting secretary of homeland security after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her post.