The U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has concluded its investigation into the false accusations that horse-mounted Border Patrol agents used whips against illegal Haitian immigrants near Del Rio, Texas, during the surge in September, with a final decision on possible criminal charges being imminent from the Justice Department, according to Breitbart.
If the Justice Department decides not to follow through with criminal charges, the case will be returned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for potential administrative punishments. The allegations of misconduct were not accepted for investigation by the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The agents involved in the case are still on administrative duties. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised it would take days or weeks to finish the investigation, but that was three months ago.
A Border Patrol source told Townhall they were unaware of the OPR finishing its investigation until seeing Breitbart's report. "I'm predicting we won't be happy," the source added.
The outrage stemmed from images taken on the Mexican side of the border where agents on horseback could be seen attempting to stop Haitians illegally crossing into Texas. As this was happening, there were thousands of Haitians under the Del Rio International Bridge waiting to be processed.
A source within Border Patrol previously explained to Townhall what people got wrong about the "incident":
"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. If they get too close, the horse can step on them, breaking bones or causing other injuries. Agents also need to maintain control of their reins so they don't lose control of the horse, which can cause injuries to immigrants, the agents, and the horses."We are not aware of anyone being struck with the reins."
The outrage over the false pretense that Border Patrol agents were using whips to deter the illegal immigrants reached all corners of the mainstream media and even the White House.
"To see people treated like they did? Horses running them over? People being strapped? It's outrageous. I promise you, those people will pay," President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House shortly after the incident.
Paul Ratje, the photographer who took the pictures, said he did not see any agents whipping people.