The hearing for the confirmation of Biden's pick for attorney general is adjourned until Tuesday morning.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in his first line of questioning as a member of the Judiciary Committee, asked Garland how he could use his power as attorney general to make equal justice for all Americans a possibility.

Garland said he was "deeply aware" of the moment the country is in with regards to racial justice and that it was a substantial part of why he wants to be attorney general. He cited over-incarceration of Black Americans and other minorities, reducing the emphasis on prosecuting lower-level crimes like marijuana possession and the need for greater discretion to prosecutors in terms of not pursuing the harshest sentences for crimes that aren't of a violent nature.

Ossoff also said that Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and asked Garland how he planned to use the DOJ's authority to ensure that local agencies are held to account.

"What I will say is that like many, many Americans I was shocked by what I saw in videos of Black Americans being killed over this last summer. That, I do think, created a moment in the national life that brought attention from people who had not seen what Black Americans and other members of communities of color had known for decades, but it did bring everything to the fore and created a moment," Garland said. "We have an opportunity to make dramatic changes and really bring forth equal justice under the law which is our commitment of the Justice Department for the Civil Rights Division is the place where we focus these -- these operations."

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed Garland on his view of the death penalty, noting that convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, whom Garland helped prosecute, was put to death in the early 2000s. Garland said he didn’t regret that but said his thoughts on the death penalty have evolved.

He says Biden has the ability to put a moratorium on the death penalty and ultimately his stance on it will follow the president's.

Multiple senators addressed racial equality and disparities in the justice system as well as the prosecution of hate crimes. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked Garland if he felt there were two systems of justice in the United States and Garland said he did. Garland vowed to have the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division aggressively prosecute hate crimes.

"Hate crimes tear at the fabric of our society make our citizens worried about walking on the street and exercising even their most normal rights and the role of the Civil Rights Division is to prosecute those cases, vigorously and I can assure you that it will if I'm confirmed," Garland said.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., asked Garland if he had insight into any shortfalls of the investigation into former financier Jeffrey Epstein who died by suicide in federal custody in New York in August 2019.

"He obviously should have been vigorously prosecuted substantially earlier but I don't know the why," he said.

When asked by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., about defunding the police, he said he doesn’t believe in it.

"We saw how difficult the lives of police officers were in the body cam videos we saw when they were defending the Capitol," Garland said. "I do believe and President Biden believes in giving resources to police departments to help them reform and gain the trust of their communities,."

-ABC News' Luke Barr

After an expanded detention facility for child migrants reopened in Carrizo Springs, Texas, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted Tuesday, “This is not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay - no matter the administration or party.”

In a press briefing Wednesday, Psaki attempted to cast the Biden administration’s efforts to manage immigration as a major improvement over President Donald Trump’s policies but didn’t fully address Ocasio-Cortez's criticism that such facilities shouldn’t exist at all.

Psaki said the administration had three options when it comes to child migrants: to send them back to their countries (which she said can be dangerous), to transfer them to a facility managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, or to put them in the care of families or sponsors "without any vetting." She said the administration has chosen the middle option.

“What we are doing is working as quickly as possible to process these kids into these HHS facilities, which have been revamped, which have medical and educational services available, so that we can then transfer them to families. That's what our approach is,” Psaki said.

Psaki would not commit to a request to allow media in to prove that children are treated humanely, citing privacy and security concerns. Psaki tried to explain the administration’s options in dealing with minors at the border and why the detention facilities have become a primary strategy.

“This is a difficult situation. It's a difficult choice. That's the choice we've made,” she said.

Psaki also attempted to defend delays in transferring children from facilities run by Customs and Border Protection, which often lack amenities, to Health and Human Service facilities that are intended for longer-term care. By law, children are supposed to spend no more than 72 hours in Customs and Border Protection facilities after initial apprehension.

“There were some delays last week because of weather, and because some of these facilities to safely move these kids to, did not have power and were not in a place where they could -- they had the capacity to take in these kids and do it safely. That is not our objective. That is not our goal," Psaki said. "So some, unfortunately, did stay four days, five days, or longer, but the objective is to move them as quickly as possible to the HHS sponsored facilities.”

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky