A brand new report from the inner Customs and Border Protection watchdog says that Border Patrol agents on horseback didn’t whip Haitian migrants crossing the border in 2021, but did use unnecessary force, and blamed Texas regulation enforcement officers for asking the agents to push the migrants again into Mexico.
“[Border Patrol] personnel carried out an operation at the request of [the Texas Department of Public Safety] which directly contravened USBP operational objectives and resulted in the unnecessary use of force against migrants,” mentioned the report from the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility. The report additionally mentioned that the Texas “personnel involved in the incident declined to provide any information when asked about the operational objectives of TXDPS.”
By Sept. 19, 2021, about 15,000 Haitian migrants had gathered beneath the worldwide bridge from Mexico to Del Rio, Texas. Many then tried to cross the Rio Grande into the U.S. through a ship ramp lower than half a mile from the authorized U.S. port of entry.
Photographers took photos of members of a Border Patrol Horse Patrol chasing Haitian migrants, grabbing the shirt of at least one migrant and swirling the reins of their horses in an allegedly intimidating method. Some news organizations reported that the agents appeared to be “whipping” the migrants.
After interviews with agents and supervisors in addition to journalists who had been current, the report concluded there was “no evidence” that the agents “involved in this incident struck, intentionally or otherwise, any migrant with their reins.” Members of the Horse Patrol Unit use break up reins that may be swirled to direct their horses.
The report did discover, nonetheless, that agents “used force or the threat of force to drive migrants back into the Rio Grande River despite the fact they were well within the territorial boundary of the United States.” Border Patrol agents are alleged to arrest individuals who have crossed into the U.S. between authorized ports of entry, not push them again into the river or into Mexico.
One agent additionally “acted in an unprofessional manner,” in line with the report by yelling at a migrant male who was hiding behind ladies and kids, “’Hey! You use your women? This is why your country’s s—, you use your women for this.’”
Texas officers, in line with the report, had been accountable for blocking a portion of the Rio Grande riverbank, with the end result that the migrants tried to make use of the boat ramp to enter the U.S. The Texas officers then allegedly requested the federal agents to assist them push migrants again into the river, which was not a part of the Border Patrol plan of motion.
In a press release, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned, “The misconduct of several individuals does not reflect the brave and distinguished service of the agents of the United States Border Patrol. The organizational failures of policy, procedures, and training that the investigation identified were a disservice to the agents and the public they serve. CBP must and will do better.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
