By Steve Neavling
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating images and video of horse-mounted Border Patrol agents chasing and whipping Haitian migrants along the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas.
In a tweet Monday, Homeland Security said it was taking the situation “very seriously.”
“The footage is extremely troubling, and the facts learned from the full investigation, which will be conducted swiftly, will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken,” Homeland Security said.
CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating, and the DHS Office of Inspector General has been alerted.
The scene played out near a makeshift camp in Del Rio, a small town where a large influx of migrants from Haiti have gathered in hopes of being granted asylum.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said the footage was “devastating.”
“I’ve seen some of the footage,” Psaki said at a briefing Monday. “I don’t have the full context. I can’t imagine what context would make that appropriate. But I don’t have additional details.”
