As the border crisis rages out of control, with 12,000 illegal immigrants camping out under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, members of the leftist media have found their latest shiny object of distraction.
Border Patrol agents mounted on horseback are deterring illegal immigrants, many from Haiti, from entering the U.S. through the Rio Grande. Democrat political operative Sawyer Hacket tweeted photos saying the agents were whipping them. As Julio reports, that isn't what happened.
Border patrol is mounted on horseback rounding up Haitian refugees with whips.
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) September 20, 2021
This is unfathomable cruelty towards people fleeing disaster and political ruin. The administration must stop this. pic.twitter.com/BSjT91NSj0
From a Border Patrol source: “Agents use their reins for a lot of reasons. Primarily it's used to steer the horse, but agents will also spin them sometimes to deter people from getting too close to the horse...We are not aware of anyone being struck with the reins.” https://t.co/yxxyoAuklh pic.twitter.com/t3o3h9dJbL
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 20, 2021
Right on cue, journalists took the bait and proliferated the false story.
Border Patrol agents on horseback cracking whips and charging into crowds of Haitian asylum seekers in Texas, shouting at them to go back to Mexico — strong reporting from @psskow on the situation in Del Rio/Ciudad Acuña https://t.co/ZVeS6j3gnM
— Ryan Devereaux (@rdevro) September 19, 2021
New photos show Border Patrol agents swinging whips and charging their horses at Haitian migrants attempting to get to an international bridge in Del Rio, where thousands have sought refuge trying to seek asylum.
— Axios (@axios) September 20, 2021
??: Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty https://t.co/4Hek2oeVus pic.twitter.com/G1nj5KcUIa
Border Patrol agents were filmed on horseback whipping ropes at Haitian refugees attempting to cross into the U.S. https://t.co/NoKY8ajrYO
— HuffPost BlackVoices (@blackvoices) September 20, 2021
From the El Paso Times:
A mounted U.S. Border Patrol agent shouted commands in a tense encounter with Haitian migrants wading through the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas.
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 of course, the fake news made it all the way to the White House press briefing where Press Secretary Jen Psaki furthered the false narrative.
WH Press Secretary calls images of what looks like border patrol on horseback rounding up Haitian migrants with whips "horrific" & says this should never happen again.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) September 20, 2021
She adds that she needs the "full context" but doesn't think anyone seeing this would see it as "acceptable." https://t.co/GtaJttBz78
.@PressSec on images appearing to show border patrol agents whipping Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border: "I have seen some of the footage. I don't have the full context, I can't imagine what context would make that appropriate."
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 20, 2021
Full video here: https://t.co/pyqD80KfY7 pic.twitter.com/ab01HFVK0q