Republicans are in an uproar as Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security prepares to proceed with disciplining mounted border patrol officers who were pictured corralling migrants last year despite being acquitted of “claims of flogging.”
Kevin McCarthy accused Biden of “targeting” Border Police agents and “slandering” those at the agency who were falsely accused of flogging Haitian migrants.
“Border patrol officers deserve a president who will support them, not slander them — that’s exactly what President Biden did when he promised, unaware of the facts, that agents would ‘pay’ for false allegations of ‘flogging’ migrants,” The GOP leader of the House minority told .
The comment came in response to a report that DHS will proceed with issuing penalties for the agents caught on camera allegedly “whipping” migrants last September.
Although the agents in question were found to have committed no wrongdoing and the insinuations that they were whipping black migrants were quickly debunked, the images, along with the claims, sparked widespread outrage and calls for action, which the president promised.
President Joe Biden even promised that before the matter could be resolved, those responsible would be brought to justice and he would “make them pay.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told on Wednesday that President Joe Biden “smeared” border patrol agents and it was “just wrong” to punish agents after they were refuted that they “whip” Haitian migrants.
Photos of mounted agents leading Haitian migrants away from the US-Mexico border have been sharply condemned by Democrats who have claimed the images showed them flogging migrants
Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales tweeted, “I will not condone this false and politicized narrative against our agents who have been cleared of criminal misconduct after a thorough investigation.”
It was reported on Tuesday that DHS is preparing to issue penalties for border patrol officers involved in the incident, citing the agency for their “administrative infractions.”
A source within the federal government told Fox News that an announcement on the matter is expected in the coming days.
The decision comes nine months after the incident, contrary to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said in September the investigation would be completed in “days, not weeks.”
“If the reports are accurate,” McCarthy added, “the Biden administration is now clearly targeting the same border patrol agents to deliver the punishment Biden requested.”
“It’s just wrong,” he said. ‘We look forward to reviewing this report, which we were told would be ready nine months ago.’
Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales said border patrol agents “risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of Americans and migrants alike.”
“I will not take this false and politicized narrative against our agents, who have been cleared of criminal misconduct after a thorough investigation,” he added in a tweet on Wednesday.
The first incident happened in September 2021, when agents in the Del Rio, Texas area were seen rushing on horseback to detain migrants attempting to enter the United States illegally
In November, DHS declined to file criminal charges.
But now the agents are preparing for discipline from DHS — and the OPR, the Border Patrol’s Office of Personnel Responsibility, has spent the past few months perusing photos and questioning witnesses and agents.
The agents were seen in the Del Rio, Texas area charging the migrants on horseback.
According to initial reports, the migrants were “whipped” – a claim that was quickly refuted. It was later clarified that the agents twirled their long reins to control the horses, not actually lifting the leather thongs to hit the migrants.
But before the corrections could be released, the images caused great outrage. President Joe Biden himself vowed to bring those responsible to justice and “make them pay.”
In November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to file criminal charges.
However, on Tuesday it was reported that DHS would issue penalties to border patrol officers involved in the incident, with the agency citing their “administrative infractions”.
Border Patrol agents and Republicans said the agents waved their reins to control their horses
The agents’ leather reins flew through the air, leading people to falsely claim the migrants were being whipped
A source within the federal government told Fox News that an announcement on the matter is expected in the coming days.
The decision comes nine months after the incident, contrary to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said in September the investigation would be completed in “days, not weeks.”
The OPR, the Border Patrol Office for Personnel Responsibility, has spent the past few months reviewing photos and interviewing witnesses and agents.
According to the OPR, agents whose behavior is in question are given a “due process” and given an opportunity to respond.
On September 19 – “Flogging” Day – large numbers of migrants are seen wading across the Rio Grande into the United States
The mounted agents and border guards in their vehicles are seen confronting the migrants on September 19
Biden claimed, before an investigation was launched, that migrants were “strapped” at the border.
“It was horrifying to see people being treated in such a way that horses almost ran them over. People buckle up,” he said in September.
“It’s outrageous. I promise you these people will pay. It is now being investigated and there will be consequences. There will be consequences. It’s an embarrassment.
“But beyond that, an embarrassment is dangerous, it’s wrong, it sends the wrong message around the world and it sends the wrong message at home. It’s just not who we are.’
Shortly after the cleanup, the White House announced that agents would no longer be allowed to hunt migrants on horseback.
Mayorkas also put the agents in the photos on desk duty — where they stay.
He said the photos were “correctly and necessarily taken with our nation’s horror.”
“They do not reflect who we are as a country, nor do they reflect who United States Customs and Border Protection is,” Mayorkas said.
Photographer Paul Ratje, who took some of the pictures, said he did not see anyone being flogged.
“I’ve never seen them whip anyone,” Ratje told KTSM-TV.
He said the stills actually showed the mounted agents swinging the long reins of their horses and not holding whips.
“He was swinging it, but it can be misunderstood if you look at the picture,” said Ratje, who shot the photos from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River.