WASHINGTON, D.C. -- North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is set to see the situation at the southern border first hand this week as part of a visit with other congressional leaders.

• His trip comes as the Trump administration is coming under fire for reports of unsanitary, overcrowded conditions at migrant border facilities.
• Tillis will be going to the Texas-Mexico border Friday with other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 
• The Vice President is also expected to be there.

His trip comes as the Trump administration is coming under fire for reports of unsanitary, overcrowded conditions at migrant border facilities.

Tillis, a Republican, will be going to the Texas-Mexico border Friday with other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Vice President is also expected to be there.

“We’ve heard the allegations, we’ve heard one side of the story,” Tillis said of his upcoming trip. “We’ll look at the facts, we’ll get a briefing from the border security leadership.”

Congress recently approved more than $4.5 billion in aid for the border. The funding - long sought by the Trump administration - is aimed at helping with immigration enforcement and improving conditions at the migrant facilities.

A report from the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog recently grabbed headlines, highlighting the conditions at those facilities: overcrowding, insufficient food and supplies, and lack of sanitation.

Democrats have panned the conditions. Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that the images of the border facilities included in the Inspector General's report are “a heartbreaking reminder of the humanitarian crisis at our border — and the Trump Admin’s ongoing failure to treat these children & families with the respect every human deserves.”

The head of DHS has defended the agency, saying the number of migrants seeking asylum is overwhelming the system.

In an interview Tuesday, Tillis echoed those comments. 

“There’s no question that when you have tens of thousands of people - nearly a million over a year - crossing the border, coming into facilities that were designed for far fewer, you’re going to have problems, you’re going to have lapses,” Tillis said. “But I believe the vast majority of the people down on the border are working very hard. They’re in very, very difficult conditions.” 

Tillis said both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary committee have been invited to attend the border trip, but it is unclear so far who all will be going.