In a private meeting held on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with the Border Patrol agents who were falsely accused in 2021 of whipping Haitian migrants along the banks of the Rio Grande. According to sources, there was no apology from Mayorkas for the administration's handling of the controversy. The meeting took place during Mayorkas' visit to the Del Rio Sector, where the incident occurred.
The controversy began in September 2021 when the agents, dealing with a surge of over 10,000 migrants, predominantly from Haiti, were sent out on horseback to control the situation. Images soon circulated on Twitter showing the agents trying to block migrants from entering the US, and in one case, grabbing a migrant's shirt. Some media outlets and Democratic lawmakers misidentified the agents' split reins, which they use to control and direct the horse, falsely claiming that the agents were using “whips” on the migrants.
Initially, Mayorkas backed the agents, pointing out that the reins were used to control the horses, not to whip people. However, he later changed his message, stating that the images "troubled him profoundly" and claiming that "one cannot weaponize a horse" against migrants. President Biden also denounced the images, angrily castigating the agents and calling for them to be punished, even while an investigation was underway.
The ensuing investigation by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that there were no whips and no whipping. However, the agents were faulted for allegedly using "denigrating and offensive" language against migrants regarding national origin and gender, as well as for maneuvering a horse around a child in an "unsafe manner." They were also accused of using "unnecessary use of force" to drive the migrants back.
Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz had supported his agents throughout the controversy and expressed frustration with the administration's failure to come out in their support. Mayorkas has since corrected additional false claims about the incident, forcefully shutting down a White House reporter who attempted to resurrect the claims of whipping.
While there was no apology from Mayorkas during the meeting, sources reported that the agents were able to discuss with the secretary how the incident had affected their lives and careers. The tone of the meeting was described as professional and respectful. This meeting comes at a time when the border is still grappling with a historic surge of migrants, with more than 240,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in October alone.
Despite the agents being cleared of the most sensational allegation, the incident has strained relations between the administration and the Border Patrol, who are already dealing with an ongoing migrant crisis. The agents involved in the incident now have an opportunity to convey their experiences directly to a Cabinet member, shedding light on the impact it has had on their lives and careers.
