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Obama officials pledge to stem immigration tide

Adrian Calleja and his sister Adriana Diego, of Oxnard, stand in support of the immigrant children who are being sheltered at a naval base in Port Hueneme, Calif., outside the base Tursday, July 8, 2014. California lawmakers and religious leaders say they are pleased with the conditions of a temporary shelter in Ventura County for children caught crossing the border but, they're worried about the young immigrants' future. After touring a federally-run shelter for 575 teens at a naval base in Port Hueneme, members of the state's Latino legislative caucus and religious leaders said the children appeared happy and well cared for. (AP Photo/Ventura County Star, Karen Quincy Loberg)
Adrian Calleja and his sister Adriana Diego, of Oxnard, stand in support of the immigrant children who are being sheltered at a naval base in Port Hueneme, Calif., outside the base Tursday, July 8, 2014. California lawmakers and religious leaders say they are pleased with the conditions of a temporary shelter in Ventura County for children caught crossing the border but, they're worried about the young immigrants' future. After touring a federally-run shelter for 575 teens at a naval base in Port Hueneme, members of the state's Latino legislative caucus and religious leaders said the children appeared happy and well cared for. (AP Photo/Ventura County Star, Karen Quincy Loberg) Adrian Calleja and his sister Adriana Diego, of Oxnard, stand in support of the immigrant children who are being sheltered at a naval base in Port Hueneme, Calif., outside the base Tursday, July 8, 2014. California lawmakers and religious leaders say they are pleased with the conditions of a temporary shelter in Ventura County for children caught crossing the border but, they're worried about the young immigrants' future. After touring a federally-run shelter for 575 teens at a naval base in Port Hueneme, members of the state's Latino legislative caucus and religious leaders said the children appeared happy and well cared for. (AP Photo/Ventura County Star, Karen Quincy Loberg)

By Associated Press 3 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Obama administration officials defended their response to the immigration crisis on the Southwest border Wednesday and pledged to get control of the flood of unaccompanied children arriving from Central America.

“We believe we will stem this tide,” the officials said in a joint statement prepared for a Senate hearing.

Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Winkowski appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee a day after President Barack Obama asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency spending to deal with the crisis.

The officials were expected to face questions on the request, which is encountering some resistance from Republicans who believe more wholesale changes are needed. Democrats seem generally receptive to the spending, which would go for more immigration judges, detention facilities, and deterrence efforts, though some say it should focus more on helping the kids than on enforcement.

For President Barack Obama, the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is increasingly becoming a political liability, giving Republicans a fresh opportunity to question his administration’s competence and complicating the debate over the nation’s fractured immigration laws.