McAleenan faces new questions on Capitol Hill amid DHS funding request, personnel drama

This will be McAleenan's first time testifying since The Washington Post reported he threatened to quit in a fight with White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller over agency hiring. In addition, former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is expected to take a top post at the Department of Homeland Security focusing on immigration, but it's not clear what that job will entail and how much authority Cuccinelli will have.

Since assuming the role of acting secretary in April, McAleenan has appeared before lawmakers a handful of times, often warning of the worsening situation along the border. His testimony Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee and Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee is likely to strike a similar tone.

In an attempt to provide some reprieve, the department has moved some staff to the border to assist with the flow of migrants. CNN reported last week that the Transportation Security Administration plans to send hundreds of officials to help with efforts.

The task of the TSA workers, which a source said will include air marshals, will be to assist temporarily with immigration duties. TSA acknowledged in an internal email the "immediate need" comes with the acceptance of "some risk" of depleted resources in aviation security.

First on CNN: TSA to deploy hundreds, including air marshals, to border

TSA is among the agencies within DHS that has diverted personnel to the border, as have the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Secret Service and Coast Guard, according to a DHS official.

The White House has requested $4.5 billion in emergency funding, which includes, in part, money for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Given the scale of what we are facing, we will exhaust our resources before the end of this fiscal year," McAleenan told a House appropriations subcommittee in late April.

Last week, the White House also introduced a framework aimed at overhauling the nation's immigration system, though it was short of details.

In April, the Border Patrol arrested 98,977 migrants for illegal entry, many of whom were families, up from the previous month. The rise in families and children, primarily from Central American countries, has strained the department's resources, given the additional care and processing needs.

Within the last weeks, two Guatemalan children apprehended in the US have died, one in US custody and the other at a Texas hospital.

CNN's Geneva Sands contributed to this report.

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