DHS Chief Initially Denies Border Patrol Agents Used Whips On Haitians, Then Changes Tune
“Mayorkas and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told reporters in Del Rio, Texas Monday that they saw nothing obviously wrong with how the agents acted based on initial viewings of the images and footage. Mayorkas explained that agents use long reins — not whips — to control their horses, while Ortiz cited the difficulty in distinguishing migrants from smugglers as people move back and forth near the river,” the Post reported. “Ortiz added he would investigate the agents’ actions to make sure nothing ‘unacceptable’ took place.”
On Tuesday, however, Mayorkas appeared to shift toward believing the allegations, saying he was “horrified” by what he saw.
“I was horrified by what I saw,” Mayorkas
said on CNN’s “New Day.” “I’m going to let the investigation run its course. But the pictures that I observed troubled me profoundly. That defies all of the values that we seek to instill in our people.”