White House remains silent while border patrol agents are cleared

by Trinity Cardinal

Marion Bae, FISM News

 

In September of 2021 a sensational story began circling the mainstream media, that insisted people of color were being whipped by United States officials. It seems that the story has reached a silent conclusion while Republicans push for justice and the White House waits for it to disappear.

The story spread following photos released of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback trying to manage the crisis on the national border, where thousands of Haitian immigrants poured into Del Rio, Texas. A closer look at the photos revealed that there was no whipping and there were no whips at all. The closest thing found to a whip were the horse reins patrol agents used to maneuver the terrain and detain the criminals.

Without taking the time to discern the truth, the White House pushed the narrative of whipping, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Myorkas, who said “We know that those images painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation’s ongoing battle against systemic racism.” 

Those on the political right defended the agents, including their governor, Greg Abbott, who insisted that any agents who lost their federal jobs over this dispute would have a job working for him in the State of Texas.

It was ultimately announced that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility would be conducting a thorough investigation into the claims and the patrol agents involved were put on administrative leave. There has been no official announcement on the matter since then, and some began to speculate why. 

A DHS official told the Washington Examiner, “I doubt that the current administration will release this report on the horse patrol incident because it makes the administration look terrible.” The official claimed that an investigation of this type should be done within weeks, not months, and that no disciplinary action has been taken as of now with the patrol agents. 

On April 1st, 2022 the Daily Caller published an article with quotes they received from ​​National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, who stated that the investigation had come up empty, and the patrol agents had been cleared. Judd states, “The only reason that we know that they were cleared is because OPR [Office of Professional Responsibility] started their investigation and they compelled them to give a statement,” Judd told the DCNF. “Once you compel somebody to give a statement, you can’t take criminal action against them.”

The Daily Caller also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, whose spokesperson said, “We will share the results of the investigation once it is complete and provide updates, as available, consistent with the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and individuals’ privacy,” They also supplied a link to the DHS press release on the matter, last updated in January.

While the results of the investigation appear to be conclusive based on these statements from officials, that the agents were cleared from these allegations, few media outlets have reported on the findings. At this time it is unclear whether an official announcement will be made by DHS or the White House, but it seems unlikely given the political climate.

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