Border Patrol won’t use horses in Del Rio after outrage over
A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021.
Paul Ratje | AFP | Getty Images
The Biden administration has halted Border Patrol agents’ use of horses in Del Rio, Texas, amid public outcry over video and photos showing mounted agents grabbing Haitian migrants trying to cross into the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told civil rights leaders Thursday that the administration “would no longer be using horses in Del Rio,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during a briefing.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
When asked why President Joe Biden has not publicly condemned the images, one of which shows an agent on horseback grabbing a migrant by his shirt, Psaki said the change in policy demonstrates that the president finds the images “horrific.”
“I think people should take away that his actions make clear how horrible and horrific these images are, including an investigation, including a change of policy, including conveying clearly that this is not acceptable, and he’s not going to stand for this in the Biden-Harris administration,” she said.
Mayorkas and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz on Monday rejected allegations that “whips” were used by agents in a compilation of images and videos that fueled an outcry on social media. They said the agents were wielding reins to control their horses.
However, the images still drew sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers this week.
A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021.
Paul Ratje | AFP | Getty Images
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., used Twitter to denounce the Border Patrol’s actions.
“It doesn’t matter if a Democrat or Republican is President, our immigration system is designed for cruelty towards and dehumanization of immigrants,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a Twitter post. “Immigration should not be a crime, and its criminalization is a relatively recent invention. This is a stain on our country.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., echoed this sentiment in her own Twitter post Monday.
“These are human rights abuses, plain and simple. Cruel, inhumane, and a violation of domestic and international law,” Omar said in the post. “This needs a course correction and the issuance of a clear directive on how to humanely process asylums seekers at our border.”
A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback uses the reins as he tries to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021.
Paul Ratje | AFP | Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters Tuesday…
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