By Steve Neavling
CBP plans to discipline horse-mounted agents for their “unprofessional and dangerous behavior” when confronting Haitian migrants near the border in Del Rio, Texas, last year.
The agency released a 500-plus page report by the Office of Professional Responsibility that found failures at multiples levels, a lack of appropriate policing and training, and unnecessarily aggressive behavior by several agents on horseback.
According to the report, several agents used unnecessary force and profanity-riddled threats to drive migrants back down the banks of the Rio Grande.
“The report showed there were failures to make good decisions at multiple levels of the organization,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement. “Failures to maintain command and control over Horse Patrol Units, lack of appropriate policies and training, and the overall chaotic nature of the situation at Del Rio at the time contributed to the incident. Several agents engaged in unprofessional or dangerous behavior, including one instance in which an agent used denigrating and offensive language.”
Images of the interaction went viral, and the Biden administration pledged to hold agents responsible for unnecessary force.
No decision has yet been made on discipline.
