The White House communications team and the Department of Homeland Security’s acting secretary office engaged in a tense argument last month after acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan proposed traveling down to the U.S.-Mexico border on World Refugee Day to celebrate and welcome migrants, including those who entered illegally, two senior administration officials told the Washington Examiner.

A senior public affairs official at DHS asked the White House in early June for permission to go down to the southern border with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on June 20. One person identified the official as acting DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Andrew Meehan.

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