US Homeland Security Mulls Disciplining Border Agents Over Horse Patrol Incident

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The investigation into the horse patrol incident on 19 September in the US state of Texas that involved Haitian refugees being rounded up by mounted Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, will determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an update on the investigation "into the horse patrol activity in Del Rio, Texas on 19 September 2021," in which it said that once complete, its findings "will be provided to CBP management to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate and, if so, the specific discipline to be imposed".

The statement clarified that initially, the case had been assigned to DHS’s Office of Inspector-General, but that body referred the matter to CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility which is tasked with presenting the results of the investigation to the CBP management.

On 23 September, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told civil rights leaders that border agents will no longer use horses to detain illegal migrants which is what happened with the Haitian refugees.

Images emerging from the border showed CBP officers on horseback being rough with Haitian migrants who had gathered in great numbers on the US border with Mexico in Texas, attracting condemnation from some civil rights groups. US President Joe Biden called the images of CBP officers using horses to detain Haitians "horrible" and promised consequences.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said horses are routinely used by CBP officers in areas not readily accessible by vehicles and not using horses would impede the agents’ work in stopping illegal immigration. Abbott also said claims the officers who used whips were not accurate as they use rains when riding horses.