Joe Biden harshly criticizes repression of migrants and promises “consequences”

United States President Joe Biden on Friday promised there would be “consequences” for the guards who have been photographed brutally pushing back Haitian migrants, which he said was “scandalous” amid strong criticism for its management of the southern border.

“It’s scandalous”the Democratic president told reporters at the White House, after maintaining public silence on the issue for several days.

“I promise you these people will pay, there will be an investigation, there will be consequences,” he said, responding to questions from the press after a speech on the covid-19 vaccination.

In a snapshot taken Sunday by an AFP agency photographer, a mounted border guard grabs a man by his shirt on the American side of the Rio Grande, the natural border between the United States and Mexico, near the town of Del Rio, Texas. .

In another photograph, a mounted guard Keeps a group at bay with long leather reins, in a threatening posture, to force them back.

These images, which traveled the world, caused a sensation in the United States. Some saw the migrants equated with cattle, others recalled the mistreatment of African Americans at the hands of mounted police, prison guards or slave owners.

After the images are published, Border police will temporarily stop using equestrian officers in the small town of Del Rio, US officials said Thursday.

“A shame”

When a reporter asked Biden on Friday if he took responsibility for the ‘chaos’ at the border, he replied, “Of course I take responsibility. I’m the president. It was horrible seeing people. treated that way. “

“It’s a shame,” Biden said. “It’s more than embarrassing. It’s dangerous. It’s wrong. Send the wrong message to everyone, the wrong message to home,” he said.

“It’s not who we are,” he said.

Biden took office in January promising to reverse what he called the inhumane policies of his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, on the southern border.

But eight months later, his administration is under strong criticism for handling the record flow of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants seeking to enter the United States from Mexico.

Criticism of Republicans and Democrats

Biden is questioned daily by Republicans and Fox News, who They accuse the White House of losing control of the border and give up on ensuring American security.

Democrats accuse the president of breaking his promises, signaling his decision to adhere to strict rules to deport irregular migrants, which the White House says is necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Tens of thousands of migrants from Latin America from the north, mostly Haitians, have been gathering for several weeks in the Mexican towns of Tapachula, on the border with Guatemala, and Ciudad Acuña, on the border with Texas. , where they live in unsanitary conditions hoping to achieve the “American dream”.

America has decided deport en masse Haitians on the southern border of the United States. More than 1,400 have already been repatriated by plane, as the small Caribbean country is plunged into deep political, security and humanitarian crisis.

The tension around these questions rose even more Thursday, with the resignation of the American envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote, who denounced the “inhuman” evictions.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been plagued by political and economic instability for years, but the situation worsened after a recent earthquake and the assassination of the country’s president, Jovenel Moise, the July 7.

Source: AFP

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