The Border Agents accused of whipping migrants have been assigned to administrative duties, DHS chief Mayorkas reveals

  • ‘They do not reflect who we are as a country nor do they reflect who the United States Custom and Border Protection is, Mayorkas said, testifying before the Homeland Security Committee
  • The secretary said that his agency was investigating the footage ‘with tremendous speed and with tremendous force,’ and would get to the bottom of the matter in ‘days, not weeks’ 
  • Two US officials said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days’ time
  • Others who camped out in Del Rio, Texas, have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed there, they said  
  • At the peak, there were around 14,600 migrants in Del Rio. On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott said 8,600 remained in the town, with 1,083 flown back to Haiti since Sunday 
  • Seven deportation flights have been scheduled to take people back to Haiti on Wednesday  

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed Wednesday that border officials seen in photos rounding up migrants on horseback to push them back across the Mexico border have been reassigned to desk duty while the incidents are being investigated.

Mayorkas, testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, said the images, where Border Patrol agents on horseback appeared to be using their reins as whips, were ‘correctly and necessarily were met with our nation’s horror.’

‘They do not reflect who we are as a country nor do they reflect who the United States Custom and Border Protection is,’ Mayorkas said.

The secretary said that his agency was investigating the footage ‘with tremendous speed and with tremendous force,’ and would get to the bottom of the matter in ‘days, not weeks.’

‘We have ensured that individuals, during the pendency of the investigation, are not conducting law enforcement duties to interact with migrants.’

Some accused agents of whipping migrants, but Border Patrol agents saw it differently.

Brandon Judd, a border agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, slammed the Biden administration for condemning the images without understanding the situation.

‘There are very few things that will boil my blood as bad as the White House directly coming out and condemning an action before they know what happened,’ Judd said on the John Solomon Reports podcast. 

‘Jen Psaki came out yesterday, and she condemned these actions when in reality, it is a legitimate law enforcement action. This was meant to protect the illegal aliens.’

 Judd claimed that officers swing around their reins to keep migrants from getting too close to the horse and getting trampled. ‘The reins will be twirled to keep people away from the horses for their protection.’

The Fraternal Order of Police also tamped down accusations that agents had been whipping migrants.