WATCH: Spicer addresses immigration, protections for transgender students at news briefing

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer addressed protections for transgender students as well as the Trump administration’s immigration policies during a news briefing Thursday.

Watch Spicer speak in the player above.

The Trump administration on Wednesday ended federal protection for transgender students that required schools to allow them to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities, stepping into an emotional national issue.

The administration came down on the side of states’ rights, lifting federal guidelines that had been issued by the Obama administration. Without the Obama directive, it will be up to states and school districts to interpret federal anti-discrimination law and determine whether students should have access to restrooms in accordance with their expressed gender identity and not just their biological sex.

READ MORE: Trump administration lifts transgender bathroom guidance

Meanwhile, Mexico’s mounting unease and resentment over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown are looming over a gathering of U.S. and Mexican leaders that the U.S. had hoped would project a strong future for relations between neighbors.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly meet Thursday with top Mexican officials in Mexico City to discuss Trump’s plan to target millions for possible deportation.

READ MORE: U.S., Mexico at odds over deportation as top officials meet

PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops.