An agent from the Border Patrol has been honored for his work after being falsely accused by the Biden administration of beating illegal migrants at the US/Mexico border.
Pictures of Border Patrol officers mounted on horses attempting to apprehend Haitian illegal migrants went viral in September 2021. Some people believed the photos showed an agent whipping them. President Biden condemned the event and vowed to hold the agents accountable.
Subsequent research showed that what looked like whips at certain angles were the horses’ reins. Regardless, the agents in question were determined to have used excessive force without evidence. One agent in particular was alleged to have said derogatory words while riding his horse.
The agents have never received an apology from the 46th president.
An anonymous source inside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) verified that several agents from the Customs and Border Patrol were honored, including the agent in the so-called ‘whipping’ incident. The agent’s identity has never been made public.
The source said it has been nearly three years since the Biden administration vilified a Border Patrol agent for alleged racism. Instead of an open apology, the agent received an honor for his work in preventing smuggling.
The agent was barred from interacting with illegal migrants and removed from the border. He was then tasked with intelligence work to fight against human smuggling. He was later given back his job near the border and engaged with illegal migrants.
The Heritage Foundation pointed out in an investigation from 2022 that agents were being criticized for their alleged actions, although there was evidence to suggest that this criticism was warranted.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, condemned the agents.
According to Mike Howell, Director of Heritage’s Oversight Project, they sued and possessed messages provided to Mayorkas before his very contentious address at the White House.
A communication from Mayorkas’ senior press assistant, Marsha Espinosa, was one among the messages uncovered. She sent an article to Mayorkas stating that the photographer who had taken the picture of the agent and horse said no whipping had been seen.
Secretary Mayorkas gave his press conference without utilizing this information that would have cleared the agents despite the public outcry and false accusations being leveled against them by the media, Democrat congressmen, and the president.
Howell said that oversight and litigation are the only way to bring evidence such as this to light.
