Border patrol officers feel ‘thrown under the bus’ by Biden administration, union official says

BPatrol officers feel they have been “thrown under the bus” by the Biden administration with its response to photos of them on horseback chasing Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas, according to a senior union official.

National Border Patrol Council vice chairman Jon Anfinsen told Fox News officers’ sentiment extended to “all levels of management,” including customs and border protection, the department of homeland security and the White House.

PHOTOGRAPHER WHO BROKEN BORDER OFFICERS ON HORSEBACK SAYS IMAGES MAY BE ‘MIS INTERPRETATION’

“No investigation has been completed, but you hear the president say these people will pay,” Anfinsen said.

It comes after Biden said on Friday that the actions of border patrol officers were “false” in response to the release of images and videos earlier in the week showing officers on horseback chasing Haitian migrants.

“I promise you these people will pay,” Biden said at a White House press conference. “There will be consequences. It’s an embarrassment. But beyond an embarrassment, it’s dangerous. It’s bad.”

Over the past two weeks, Del Rio has been overwhelmed by an influx of thousands of migrants living under an international bridge in a makeshift camp after crossing the Rio Grande, many of whom are Haitians seeking asylum in the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday that Haitian migrants had been evacuated from the Del Rio encampment, but admitted over the weekend that more than 12,000 migrants had been released in the United States.

Following the Del Rio incident and the flogging allegations, DHS has announced that it will temporarily suspend the use of horse patrols.

“They were reins, and no reins were used to whip anyone,” Anfinsen said. “As simple as that.”

Although there has been no reported documentation of officers using whips, Mayorkas said he was “horrified” by what he saw in the photos.

The story continues

“I was horrified by what I saw. We will let the investigation take its course, but the footage I observed disturbed me deeply,” Mayorkas said in an interview with CNN, adding that the actions were “unacceptable”.

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The United States has seen an increase in migrant crossings at the southern border. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, 208,887 law enforcement cases were reported in August.

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Key words: News, Border patrol, Biden administration, Migrants, Haiti, Immigration

Original author: Elizabeth faddis

Original location: Border patrol officers feel ‘thrown under the bus’ by Biden administration, union official says