The images of a US border guard on horseback charging at migrants who were trying to get into a camp in Texas were circulated all over the internet on Monday. The guard used horse reins to frighten Haitian migrants who have been crossing back and forth between Mexico and the camp in Del Rio in United States. Many eye witnesses reported that the officer swung a whip-like cord near a migrant’s face, while he patrolled with other officers on horsebacks wearing cowboy hats.
Jen Psaki, the White House spokesperson, told the reporters that no one could think what they saw in the video footage was acceptable. She also added that she could not think of any context where it could be appropriate. People on social media pointed out that these images echoed of the historical injustices that the Black people has suffered in the United States.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told the media that the incident was being investigated to make sure there were no inappropriate actions from office’s side. He also added that the officers were trying to ensure safety to the migrants while also searching for smugglers. The Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a conference in Del Rio that the whip-like reins were used to control the horses by the officers.
There were more than twelve thousand immigrants in the camp on Monday, and the numbers peaked as high as sixteen thousand on Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Many of the people have reached Texas in hopes of applying for asylum in United States from as far as Chile.
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