DHS chief requests volunteers to help at southern border amid 'overwhelming' migrant surge

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday asked DHS staff to volunteer to help deal with what he conceded was an "overwhelming" number of migrants at the border, as the administration scrambles to deal with the escalating crisis.

"Today, I activated the Volunteer Force to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they face a surge in migration along the Southwest Border," Mayorkas said in an email to staff, seen by Fox News.

"You have likely seen the news about the overwhelming numbers of migrants seeking access to this country along the Southwest Border," he said. "President Biden and I are committed to ensuring our Nation has a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system while continuing to balance all of the other critical DHS missions."