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Attending the meeting was then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned in April. It was widely reported at the time that Trump didn’t think Nielsen had done enough to curb the tide of asylum seekers, which is expected to fall shy of 1 million people this year alone.

Trump’s repeated question on allowable use of force underscores the extreme lengths the president has been willing to consider to address a signature issue for the president. Trump frequently describes people coming across the border as part of an \"invasion\" and people who are criminals.

\"PHOTO:
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
PHOTO: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations, Sept. 23, 2019, in Washington.
>

Nielsen was replaced by acting Homeland Secretary Kevin McAleenan, who has overseen a reduction in border numbers in recent months in part because of a new policy – initiated by Nielsen – that forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. Human rights groups say the policy has created a humanitarian crisis south of the U.S. border, where migrant families face scarce food and clean water and fear for their safety.

In an interview with The Washington Post, McAleenan expressed frustration with “the tone” on immigration in general.

“What I don’t have control over is the tone, the message, the public face and approach of the department in an increasingly polarized time,” he told the Post. “That’s uncomfortable, as the accountable, senior figure.”

“I think the words matter a lot,” McAleenan said. “If you alienate half of your audience by your use of your terminology, it’s going to hamper your ability to ever win an argument.”

McAleenan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

___ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Quinn Owen contributed to this report.

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