Border Patrol used ‘unnecessary’ force on Haitian migrants in Texas, but didn’t whip them, report finds

One of the agents was also criticized for comments yelled and for engaging in an unsafe pursuit.

Four Border Patrol agents who engaged in an aggressive altercation with Haitian migrants last year in Del Rio, Texas, were found to have made several poor decisions during the encounter.

CNN reported that an investigation by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility found that Border Patrol personnel on horseback used “unnecessary” force in September against Black migrants. Troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety also attempted to scatter the migrants during the altercation.

The confrontation came in the midst of a humanitarian crisis that exposed the Biden administration’s struggles to control a record number of southwestern border crossings.

While Border Patrol agents did not strike migrants with their reins, according to the 511-page CPB study that was released July 8, they did not handle the situation to the best of their ability, the report said, per CNN.

“The report showed there were failures to make good decisions at multiple levels of the organization,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement, per CNN. “Failures to maintain command and control over Horse Patrol Units, lack of appropriate policies and training, and the overall chaotic nature of the situation at Del Rio at the time contributed to the incident. Several agents engaged in unprofessional or dangerous behavior, including one instance in which an agent used denigrating and offensive language.”

One of the Border Patrol agents received criticism for “yelling comments related to a migrant’s national origin and sex,” and acting “in an unsafe manner by pursuing the individual he had yelled at along the river’s edge forcing his horse to narrowly maneuver around a small child on a slanted concrete ramp,” according to the report, per CNN. The agent reportedly said the migrant’s country was in bad shape because “you use your women for this.”

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have harshly condemned the behaviors that had been captured on camera, with the president calling it “horrible” and saying those involved would pay.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed that the conduct of the agents that day is not reflective of all Border Patrol agents.

“The misconduct of several individuals does not reflect the brave and distinguished service of the Agents of the United States Border Patrol,” he said, per CNN. “The organizational failures of policy, procedures and training that the investigation identified were a disservice to the Agents and the public they serve.”

The four officers involved are now handling administrative duties.

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