Border agent falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants receives award

May 6

Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)

In September 2021, border agents were falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants at the southern border. Now, the Department of Homeland Security granted one of those agents a Border Patrol achievement award on Thursday, May 2. The agency commended the agent, whose identity has been kept confidential since the incident, for his intelligence work on human smuggling cases.

Five agents were photographed on horseback during an incident at the border in Del Rio, Texas, in September 2021. At the time, accusations claimed agents used whips on migrants.

The photographer who took the pictures said they did not witness any whipping. The information was relayed to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. However, Mayorkas did not include the information in his public statements on the incidents.

Mayorkas initially criticized the actions of the agents. However, he later walked back his statements, acknowledging that he had not seen the images before making the remarks. Mayorkas did not specifically apologize to the individual agent, who received the award.

President Joe Biden condemned the images, which sparked widespread outrage. Following the incident, the agents were reassigned from the front lines and barred from interacting with migrants.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigation found while the agents did use unnecessary force and inappropriate language, they did not harm migrants and agents did not use whips nor the reins on their horses as weapons.

Despite the ordeal, the agent in question continued his job, focusing on intelligence work to combat smuggling. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognized his efforts with the award during the week of April 29.

“I find it hilarious and ridiculous that almost three years, a Border Patrol agent who was accused of being racist and so vilified by this Biden administration now wins an achievement award for his efforts to prevent smuggling, before he gets an apology,” a DHS source told the New York Post.

Tags: Alejandro Mayorkas, Border patrol, Haitian migrants, Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Joe Biden, migrants, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.-Mexico Border

[KARAH RUCKER]

A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE YEARS AGO BORDER AGENTS WERE FALSELY ACCUSED OF WHIPPING HAITIAN MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

NOW, ONE OF THOSE AGENTS HAS BEEN LAUDED WITH A BORDER PATROL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY THE D-H-S.

THE AGENT, WHOSE IDENTITY HAS BEEN KEPT CONFIDENTIAL SINCE THE INCIDENT, WAS COMMENDED FOR HIS INTELLIGENCE WORK ON HUMAN SMUGGLING CASES.

YOU MAY RECALL THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THIS PICTURE.

FIVE AGENTS WERE PHOTOGRAPHED ON HORSEBACK DURING AN INCIDENT AT THE BORDER IN DEL RIO, TEXAS.

ACCUSATIONS FLEW, CLAIMING THE AGENTS WERE USING WHIPS ON HAITIAN MIGRANTS.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO TOOK THE PICTURES SAID THEY DID NOT WITNESS ANY WHIPPING. THE INFORMATION WAS RELAYED TO D-H-S SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS. HOWEVER, MAYORKAS DID NOT INCLUDE THE INFORMATION IN HIS PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON THE INCIDENT.

MAYORKAS INITIALLY CRITICIZED THE ACTIONS OF THE AGENTS.

BUT LATER WALKED BACK HIS STATEMENTS. ACKNOWLEDGING HE HAD NOT SEEN THE IMAGES BEFORE MAKING THE REMARKS. MAYORKAS DID NOT SPECIFICALLY APOLOGIZE TO THE INDIVIDUAL AGENT, WHO RECEIVED THE AWARD.

PRESIDENT BIDEN CONDEMNED THE IMAGES, SPARKING WIDESPREAD CRITICISM.

FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT IN SEPTEMBER 2021, THE AGENTS WERE REASSIGNED FROM THE FRONT LINES AND BARRED FROM INTERACTING WITH MIGRANTS.

AN INVESTIGATION BY CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION FOUND WHILE THE AGENTS DID USE UNNECESSARY FORCE NO MIGRANTS WERE HARMED.

AND AGENTS DID NOT USE WHIPS NOR THE REIGNS OF THEIR HORSES AS WEAPONS.

DESPITE THE ORDEAL, THE AGENT IN QUESTION CONTINUED HIS JOB.

FOCUSING ON INTELLIGENCE WORK TO COMBAT SMUGGLING. HIS EFFORTS WERE RECOGNIZED BY HOMELAND SECURITY WITH THE AWARD LAST WEEK.

A D-H-S SOURCE TOLD THE NEW YORK POST:

I FIND IT HILARIOUS AND RIDICULOUS THAT ALMOST THREE YEARS LATER, A BORDER PATROL AGENT WHO WAS ACCUSED OF BEING RACIST AND SO VILIFIED BY THIS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION NOW WINS AN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR HIS EFFORTS TO PREVENT SMUGGLING, BEFORE HE GETS AN APOLOGY.

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