White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Europe should crack down on traffickers who are exploiting migrants and ensure that migrants' human rights are protected.
As many as 50 corpses were found in a parked lorry in Austria on Thursday, intensifying concerns about the migrant crisis in Europe.
Earnest said that the instability in the Middle East and North Africa is starting to have a "destabilizing impact" in Europe.
In the wide-ranging news briefing, the White House also said the U.S. appellate court decision on the National Security Agency's collection of phone metadata was consistent with the Obama administration's stance that the intelligence gathering programs are constitutional.
The federal court on Friday threw out a judge's ruling that would have blocked the NSA's metadata collection.
"The President believed that there were important reforms that could be put in place that would both better protect the privacy and civil liberties of the American people while also making sure that our law enforcement and intelligence officials had the tools that they need to keep us safe," Earnest said.
On another court decision, the Obama administration said that the Justice Department is considering its options after a U.S. district court blocked a federal clean water rule from going into effect in certain states.
"The administration strongly disagrees with this ruling," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a briefing.
The U.S. District court in North Dakota granted a preliminary injunction against the so-called Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule for 13 states on Thursday.
The White House on Friday also expressed confidence that it has the support in Congress necessary to sustain a veto of a resolution to reject the Iran nuclear agreement.
"We've got some momentum built up on our side," said Earnest, referring to the 30 Senators who have publicly announced support for the deal.
Deal supporters need 34 of the 100 senators or 146 members of the 435-seat House to sustain a veto.
Share
