Hours before attending a White House press conference in which Border Patrol agents were excoriated by President Joe Biden for allegedly whipping Haitian migrants from horseback, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was advised the allegations were challenged by the primary witness. Biden was still left to claim, “To see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped, it’s outrageous.” The administration was reacting to photographs of a migrant border surge in Del Rio, Texas, at the time in 2021.
An exclusive Fox News report details a September 24, 2021, email obtained by the Heritage Foundation via a Freedom of Information Act request. The email to Mayorkas and other DHS leaders from Marsha Espinosa, Assistant Secretary of DHS public affairs, included a news article in which the photographer who took the photograph directly stated he did not observe any agents whipping the migrants.
Despite the email brief quoting the key witness, Mayorkas actively participated in pushing the false narrative: “Our nation saw horrifying images that do not reflect who we are. We know that those images painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation’s ongoing battle against systemic racism.”
The false allegations stemmed from a September 2021 incident where nearly 30,000 mostly Haitian migrants were encamped under the Del Rio International Bridge. After a nearly yearlong investigation, the agents in question were cleared of the allegations regarding physical abuse.
Soon after the allegations surfaced, the mounted Border Patrol agents were relegated to administrative duties and stripped of law enforcement authority. These actions were taken under the direction of Secretary Mayorkas. The agents have only recently been allowed to resume normal patrol duties as they continue to fight lesser allegations, according to a source within CBP.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, Customs and Border Protection officials released the findings of an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investigation in July 2022. Despite the findings showing the migrants were not whipped, administrative discipline was recommended against the agents.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.