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DEL RIO, United States – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday authorities would investigate reports that Haitian migrants in Texas may have been abused by border patrol officers on horseback.
Mayorkas said the mounted officers were trying to deal with the flow of hundreds of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico near Del Rio, Texas.
Images by AFP photographer Paul Ratje and video footage that quickly spread across social media appeared to show horsemen swinging their long reins to threaten migrants and push them back to the river.
Ratje said many Haitians were crossing the river to collect food for their families and were stranded by horses.
“Some of the migrants started running to try and get around the riders, and one of the officers grabbed the Haitian in the photo by the shirt and ended up swinging him as the horse trotted in a circle,” said Ratje about an individual. photograph.
Ratje said he didn’t think the man was injured.
U.S. Border Patrol officers on horseback attempt to prevent Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, September 19, 2021 (Paul Ratje / AFP)
Soon after, he said, “They kind of calmed down and started letting people in. “
Under investigation
Some online commentators said the footage evoked moments in history when mounted police or prison guards routinely used whips against black Americans, and even recalled scenes of slavery violence in the United States. in the nineteenth century.
“We will investigate the facts to make sure the situation is as we understand it,” Mayorkas told reporters.
“If it’s different, we’ll respond accordingly. “
A United States Border Patrol officer on horseback attempts to prevent a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, September 19, 2021. ( Paul Ratje / AFP)
At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki said she saw the footage.
“I don’t have the full context,” she said, adding: “I can’t imagine what context would make this appropriate.
“It’s horrible to watch,” she said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Monday “about cooperation to repatriate Haitian migrants to the southern border of the United States,” said the US State Department.
The two men shared the “mutual concern of their countries for the safety of Haitian citizens”.
Haitian immigrants return to Mexico after crossing the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021, to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. (John Moore / Getty Images / AFP)
Blinken also spoke by phone with his Mexican counterpart Marcelo Ebrard about “coordination to manage flows of irregular migrants,” a spokesperson said.
The controversy arose as U.S. border patrol officers continued to struggle to stem a massive influx of undocumented migrants, including thousands from Haiti.
US Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz defended the mounted patrol units, but said the agency “will certainly look into the matter to ensure we have no activity that could be interpreted as an answer … which is unacceptable “.
A United States Border Patrol officer on horseback uses the reins as he tries to prevent Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas , September 19, 2021 (Paul Ratje / AFP)
Fake news
The influx of migrants has become a crisis for the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Speaking in Del Rio, Mayorkas said Haitian migrants were receiving false information about the possibility of staying in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on September 9, 2021 (AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana)
He said the government would step up repatriation flights for Haitians and that US authorities considered it prudent to send them back.
Haitians, Mayorkas said, have been falsely informed that they will be able to remain in the United States as refugees under “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) due to recent political unrest and a strong earthquake in the country. Haiti.
“We are very concerned that Haitians who use this irregular migration route are receiving false information that the border is open or that temporary protection status is available,” Mayorkas said.
Immigrants, mostly from Haiti, gather for a swim on the banks of the Rio Grande on September 19, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. (John Moore / Getty Images / AFP)
“We reiterated that our borders are not open and people should not make the dangerous journey,” he said.
“If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned. “
The TPS has been in place for years for Haitians stranded in the United States after the massive earthquake of 2010.
After the political unrest sparked by the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, the Biden administration extended the TPS to Haitians who were in the country on or before July 29.
“No one who arrived last week will be eligible for TPS,” Mayorkas said.
He insisted it was reasonable to send the migrants back to Haiti, despite the continued political instability and the earthquake that hit the southwest of the country on August 14.
“We did an assessment based on the conditions of the country, as we are required to do, that… Haiti could in fact receive individuals safely,” Mayorkas said.
Bennie Thompson, a senior African-American lawmaker in Biden’s Democratic Party, called the images of border officers on horseback “gruesome and disturbing.”
“This mistreatment goes against our American values and cannot be tolerated,” said Thompson.
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