Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas held a private meeting Wednesday with Border Patrol agents falsely accused in 2021 of whipping Haitian immigrants along the banks of the Rio Grande, according to reports.
The DHS chief, however, did not apologize for his overreaction to the image of an agent riding a horse – with a split bridle – while trying to stop migrants from entering the US near Del Rio, Texas, according to Fox News.
A day after the September 19, 2021 fight, Mayorkas defended the agent to the press, pointing out that bridles are used to control horses, not to whip people.
US Border Patrol agents on horseback try to prevent Haitian migrants from entering a camp on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 20, 2021. AFP via Getty Images
But a few days later, the head of DHS changed his tune.
“I made a statement without seeing the image,” he said from the White House press briefing room on September 24, 2021.
“The horses had long bridles, and the image in the picture that we all saw, and that terrified the nation, raised serious questions about what … happened and as I clearly stated, it raised the image of what had happened at the time ago,” added Mayorkas, referring to slavery in the US.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas refused to apologize for reacting to images of agents riding horses. Shutterstock
President Biden also denounced the image of agents guarding the southern border.
“To see people treated the way they did, horses barely running, people tied up – it’s outrageous,” he told reporters.
“I promise you, that person will pay,” Biden said of the agent. “There will be an investigation now and there will be consequences. There will be consequences.”
The head of DHS defended the agents, saying that bridles are used to control horses, not to whip people. AFP via Getty Images
A subsequent internal investigation by Customs and Border Protection found that no migrants were injured during the incident, that agents did not carry whips and did not hit anyone with their bridles.
Although the agents were cleared of the most sensational allegations, the investigation determined that they had used “unnecessary” force against the migrants and that one agent used “insulting and inappropriate language” and “moved his horse unsafely” during the incident.
The President has not apologized for leveling the denied whipping charge against the agent.
The meeting between the agent and Mayorkas was described as “professional and respectful,” according to Fox News, and it offered the agent a chance to explain to Cabinet members how the incident affected their lives and careers.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
