The incident between Border Patrol Agents and Haitian immigrants that were captured on video footage showed personnel on horseback seemingly whipping refugees at the border, fueling widespread criticism as the U.S. government is keen on investigating the issue.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the controversy on Monday during a briefing where she said the government was looking for more information. She said that she had watched some of the footage of the incident but did not have the full context of the happenings. However, Psaki noted there may have not been any context that would have made the agents' actions appropriate.
Border Patrol Agents on Horseback
The videos that recorded the incidents appeared to show law enforcement personnel riding horses and being aggressive and violent against Haitian immigrants. It could be seen that some authorities were swinging long reins near the refugees who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Del Rio, Texas.
Some videos showed officers waiting at the water's edge, twirling the long reins as refugees crossed the border at the U.S. shoreline of the Rio Grande. Shortly after, one of the horses nearly charged into one of the Haitian immigrants, causing him to fall back and down into the water, CNN reported.
The thousands of Haitian immigrants flooding U.S. borders presents a new challenge for the federal government. Psaki's statements during the press briefing showed little hope for refugees to be rescued from their position.
The refugees fled their home country which was in the middle of political upheaval following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July. The month after the crime, a massive earthquake killed thousands of residents and left nearly 40% of the region's population without a home.
The United States federal government refused to answer the calls of the Haitian interim government when it requested troops to help secure the nation. But United States President Joe Biden's administration did send out a military contingent to help Haiti after the devastating earthquake, Yahoo News reported.
Investigating the Incident
While Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Border Patrol Raul Ortiz said they would begin investigating the incident, they emphasized that the border patrol agent could have been reining his horse and not using it against the Haitian refugees. During a press briefing, Mayorkas said that many were assuming facts that have not yet been determined regarding the incident.
Many have called the tactics used by the border patrol agents to be inhumane but Mayorkas said that long reins were used to maintain control of the horses. However, the official did reassure them that they would investigate the incident.
Ortiz said that the agents' horses played a crucial part in security response as part of the officials' duties. "Operating in a river marine environment on horseback is a difficult situation and trying to maintain control of those horses so we do not get in a position where we injure a migrant as they're trying to make that treacherous trek across that river is probably more important than anything and I'm pretty sure and confident that's exactly what was happening," he said, Miami Herald reported.
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