US still aiming for deal with Mexico on migrants

U.S. Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, U.S. (Reuters Photo)

The Trump administration is seeking to strike a "cooperative agreement" with Mexico to help stem a tide of migrants looking to enter the United States at its southern border to claim asylum, the top U.S. border control official said on Monday.

"We are reaching across the aisle to come up with a cooperative agreement," acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters when asked if the United States was seeking a 'safe third country' agreement with Mexico.

Mexico has previously rejected the idea of becoming a so-called safe third country, which would mean that U.S.-bound asylum seekers traveling via Mexico would have to first claim asylum in Mexico.