By BARBARA SIMPSON
If you saw the photographs in the news from last September, you will not forget them. Bold pictures of Border Patrol agents, on horseback, using reins to control their horses, and surrounded by Haitian aliens who were trying to get into this country illegally.
The agents were doing their duty — attempting to prevent the intrusion into the United States.
The problem with the pictures is that when the media and the politicians saw them, they jumped to the conclusion that the Border Patrol Agents were beating the aliens with whips.
For anyone with no background in how you handle horses, it could be a natural conclusion. The only problem was — it was wrong!
The agents weren’t beating the aliens with whips. They were using reins to control their horses as they were trying to move the illegals away from the border.
Reins are not whips. For those who don’t know, reins are leather straps that riders use to help “steer” their horses as they are ridden.
When the photos were made public and the initial report was that the agents were whipping the aliens, the reaction was immediate, right up to the White House. President Biden was outraged. Before there was any explanation, the president promised publicly that those responsible would be brought to justice and that “he would make them pay.”
He didn’t elaborate on what he meant, but despite that, the Department of Homeland Security so far has declined to press criminal charges against those involved. The agents involved were removed from field duty and placed on office assignments, where they remain at this point.
Despite the fact the early reports talked of “whipping,” that claim was debunked. It was stated that the agents were using the reins to control their horses which had nothing to do with the illegals.
The man responsible for some of the pictures, photographer Paul Ratje, said he didn’t see anyone being whipped. In fact, he told KTSM-TV, “I’ve never seen them whip anyone.”
He said the images show the agents “swinging the long reins of their horses, not holding whips.”
In the interim, nothing has happened in the news, until last week when it was reported that DHS plans to hand out punishments to the agents involved, citing their “administrative violations.” There were no details as to what those violations were, who did the investigation, and what the punishment would involve.
President Biden has stood by his first reactions that migrants were being “strapped” at the border. “It was horrible to see, to see people treated like they did, with horses nearly running them over, people being strapped. It’s outrageous. I promise you those people will pay. There will be investigations, underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences. It’s an embarrassment.”
He went on and on, but it made no difference to the facts of the situation.
The only thing that has transpired since then is that Border Patrol agents will no longer be allowed to chase migrants on horseback. Then, last week, it was announced that there are reports that the involved agents were found guilty of “wrongdoing,” and they will be facing some kind of discipline.
Again, what, and how? No answer.
Jon Anfinsen, who is National Border Patrol Council president for the Del Rio border sector, is furious with the administration for having found the agents guilty from the beginning, before any facts were known.
He said, “They (the agents) had been convicted by the White House and DHS, so we figured something was coming.”
According to a report by Fox News, the charges against the men will be for “administrative violations” rather than criminal conduct — but aside from that, no details are available.
The Inspector General has declined to conduct an investigation and the issue was given over to the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Office of Customs and Border Protection.
None of those agencies have had any public comment as to the current situation.
To add fuel to the fire, the administration has just made an announcement of a new policy for the Border Patrol. The agents are being warned not to enforce immigration laws or attempt to arrest migrants near waterways or other barriers. The document also warns against repatriating migrants without due process by encouraging them to return to Mexico.
There will be a presentation to educate agents on the new regulations and it will likely encourage agents to refrain from any enforcement activities near the immediate border.
It makes you wonder just what the job of the Border Patrol will be.
How this relates to the situation of the agents involved in the “reining” incident, remains to be seen, but it is expected that it will be resolved soon. Aside from that, it appears that aliens are being given a nod, making it easier for them to get into this country illegally and taking enforcement power away from the Border Patrol.
No wonder the Agency is unhappy.
They aren’t the only ones. The American citizens who live in the border states and counties have to deal with the thousands of illegals who cross the border on a regular basis, cross through their property and do much damage.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 95,000 illegal aliens crossed the border and were released by the administration into the U.S. last month. It’s part of the catch and release program of the administration. In April, that number was 118,000 border crossers who were released into American communities. In March, it was another 80,000-plus released.
The border patrol reminds Americans that these figures do not include the hundreds of thousands of illegals who cross the border undetected every month.
Estimates are that there are upwards of 22 million illegal aliens in the U.S., many taking American jobs and costing America taxpayers roughly $143 billion every year.
Do people care? If not, why not?
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