U.S. Border Agents Chased Migrants On Horseback. A Photographer Explains What He Saw

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A U.S. Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuña Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images

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U.S. Border Patrol agents confront migrants crossing the Rio Grande River near the Del Rio-Acuña Port of Entry in Del Rio, Texas.

Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Mounted Border Patrol agents watch Haitian immigrants on the bank of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.

John Moore/Getty Images

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Mounted Border Patrol agents watch Haitian immigrants on the bank of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.

John Moore/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security said the Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the incident, adding that the agency’s inspector general has also been informed.

«The footage is extremely troubling and the facts learned from the full investigation, which will be conducted swiftly, will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken, DHS said.

«We are committed to processing migrants in a safe, orderly, and humane way, the agency stated. «We can and must do this in a way that ensures the safety and dignity of migrants.

White House calls images ‘horrific’

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly called the images «horrific when she was asked about the incident on Monday, using the same word she used to describe the errant U.S. strike that recently killed civilians in Afghanistan.

«It’s devastating to watch this footage, Psaki said.

The secretary was asked for the White House response to agents «seemingly using whips to corral migrants.

«It’s horrible to watch, Psaki said, while cautioning that she did not have more information about what transpired.

Of the video, Psaki stated, «I can’t imagine what the scenario is where that would be appropriate.

In response to a later question, she added, «It’s obviously horrific, the footage.

Psaki also reiterated the U.S. stance toward the migrants, that now is «not the time to come, citing the state of the U.S. immigration system as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic that has forced tight travel restrictions.

Many of the more than 14,000 migrants who’ve been camping at the border are hoping to seek asylum in the U.S., as Haitians flee a country that is in complete disarray. But in recent days, the Biden administration has been deporting migrants by the planeload, sending thousands of people back to Haiti.