The Quote Below–More Misinformation from the Media
“Now U.S. Border Patrol agents are on horseback, whipping Haitian immigrants? I couldn’t believe it. But it is true, and that is just revolting.
“El Paso Times described the situation like this:
” ‘As the Haitians tried to climb onto the U.S. side of the river Sunday afternoon, the agent shouted: ‘Let’s go! Get out now! Back to Mexico!’
“ ‘The agent swung his whip menacingly, charging his horse toward the men in the river who were trying to return to an encampment under the international bridge in Del Rio after buying food and water in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.” . . .
“And is this really happening under a Democratic president who promised humane immigration methods after his Republican predecessor caged migrant children and sealed the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers?
“It’s just hard to fathom what’s happening. President Biden has a real problem, and he’s handling it in the worst possible way.
“More than 10,000 mostly Haitians – some put that number up to 15,000 – flocked to Del Rio, Texas, seeking refuge from total chaos after multiple calamities struck their country.
“Over the weekend, the White House began a massive deportation operation beginning with three flights that landed on Sunday at Haiti’s capital of Port au-Prince. Six flights are expected a day for three weeks, according to The New York Times. . . .
“I guess the White House is using any and all methods necessary to deport as many as fast as possible.
“But agents on horseback, whipping them, round them up like cattle? There is lot of chatter on social media over whether the agents were using whips or reins. As if that would make it OK? The whole tactic is just horrible. Nobody seeking asylum should be treated like an animal.
“Trump was wrong, wrong, wrong to cage migrant children, and now Biden is no better. The president must call off his Border Patrol cowboys rounding up the Haitians.” – Border Patrol Agents on Horses Are cracking Whips at Haitian Immigrants. How Is that OK?, Elvia Diaz, Arizona Republic, 9/26/ [Link]
Fact Check on Above Quote: Ethical journalism requires fact-checking before making an accusation. This article, and the one in the El Paso Times it cites, made no effort to verify their claims. Instead, they simply jointed the media lynch-mob that was hell-bent on demonizing the Border Patrol Agents involved in this incident.
First of all, these mounted agents were not carrying whips, a fact confirmed by Paul Ratje, the photographer who took the pictures of the encounter between them and Haitian migrants who were illegally attempting to cross the Rio Grande. The so-called “whips” were actually long reins on the agents’ horses. The agents swung the reins to control their mounts, but did not use them to strike the migrants, said Ratje. In other words, the agents were simply performing the lawful actions they were hired to do. .
Secondly, most of the Haitians were not fleeing the current problems in their country. They came here from Chile and Brazil where they settled after leaving Haiti. In those countries they had legal residence and were living comfortably. They headed north when they heard about the Biden Administration’s open border policies. They viewed America as a way to improve their economic prospects. As one of them put it, “I love Chile, it’s 1,000 times better than Haiti. But I want to come to the United States; that’s a million times better.” They fact that these Haitians already had refuge outside of Haiti is proof that they did not qualify for asylum in the U.S.
Thirdly, there wasn’t a “massive” deportation of the Haitians from Del Rio, Texas. The exact figures are hard to determine, but only about 2,000 out of a total of 15,000 or more were sent back to their homeland. Authorities released most of the rest with the promise they will return for hearings to decide whether they can legally stay. Few, probably, will keep that pledge.
The spectacle of so many media outlets endorsing the whip hoax speaks volumes about their bias against reasonable immigration control. It also reveals their lack of professionalism and essential dishonesty.