FILE PHOTO - U.S. ‪Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leads a news conference after the weekly Republican Party caucus luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believed President Donald Trump has legitimate concerns about what is happening at the southern U.S. border and urged Republicans and Democrats to work together on a legislative solution.

Asked about the Republican president’s removals this week of top leaders at the Department of Homeland Security, McConnell said: “I think the president is legitimately concerned about the crisis at the border. We know that we have not handled immigration well.” He said “personalities” were part of the problem but failure to act on a wide range of issues also contributed.