It was September 2021, and the migrant crisis was beginning to be noticeable.
Social media was inundated with images of Haitian
migrants wading across the Rio Grande River to enter Texas. A few independent
news outlets reported that over fifteen thousand Haitian migrants were living
in a makeshift
migrant camp under the International Bridge
in Del Rio, Texas.
Back then the mainstream media's devotion to Joe
Biden was still undivided and absolute. The dedication still prevails, however,
Biden has done so poorly that they can no longer defend him unconditionally.
The media was desperately looking for a
distraction which came in the form of an image
on social media that appeared to show a
border agent on horseback whipping a fleeing Haitian immigrant of color.
Squad members
Reps Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-NY, and Ilhan Omar, D-MN were outraged, as they always are.
They slammed the actions of the border patrol agents as cruel, racist, and a
violation of human rights.
Then White
House press secretary Jen Psaki was also affronted. She claimed Biden found footage of Border Patrol
agents on horseback whipping at Haitian migrants at the border
"horrific" and "horrible."
Vice
President Kamala Harris had the worst
overreaction, she claimed
it reminded her of tactics applied “against
African Americans during times of slavery”.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
originally defended the agents when the outrage narrative became apparent. The
migrant crisis was a failure at his doorstep and he was glad to feign outrage
because it changed the subject.
Biden personally condemned
the U.S. Border Patrol calling the behavior of agents on horseback “outrageous”
and vowing they will face consequences for their actions.
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1441406433619288072
The media was
relieved that they no longer had to focus on another of Biden’s failures and
dedicated all their air time talking about ‘systemic’ racism and
‘institutionalized’ xenophobia.
The Customs and Border Protection announced a ‘full-scale’ investigation into the matter.
Finally, the
photographer of the image set the
record straight. He clarified that what appeared to be the
cracker of a whip were actually the reins that are used to give subtle directions or cues to horses. Since the photo was
capturing the horse in motion, the rein was aerial causing it to appear like a
whip directed at the fleeing Haitian migrant.
The NY
Post reported that the morale of the Border
patrol agents was at an all-time low after the relentless attacks and the media
trial.
Just yesterday, Customs and Border Protection
the results
of their investigation. The Border Patrol agents falsely accused of
"whipping" illegal Haitian immigrants, were cleared of any
wrongdoing.
It is amazing that the agency took over nine-month
to investigate a matter that was perfectly obvious to a naked human eye.
The investigation also stated that the agents had
used “unnecessary” force against the migrants. One agent was also found to have
used “denigrating and inappropriate language and to have maneuvered his horse
unsafely” during the incident.
Hence, disciplinary action was recommended against
the agents.
https://twitter.com/Mark_D_McDonald/status/1545477543712751616
As expected,
the media did not carry this story of the clearing with the same intensity that
they carried the smear. Consequently, the perception that border patrol agents
were whipping helpless Haitian migrants will remain in the minds of many.
NPR
carried an article headlined “Border Patrol agents
used 'unnecessary' force at Del Rio, report finds”. The details of the agents
being cleared of whipping the migrants were buried in the text. USA
Today also spun the news to focus on proposed disciplinary action, the
headline of their report read “Border Patrol proposes disciplinary action for
horse-mounted agents who clashed with Haitians”.
This is why the late great Rush Limbaugh
referred to them as drive-by media. They arrive to cover
major breaking news by stirring up emotions to a frenzied fever pitch. They
spread falsehoods, ruin reputations and inflame the situation. By the time real
facts emerge, they have either moved on to the next story or selectively
present facts to hide their mendacity. They do not have the decency or the
concern to issue corrections or retractions to repair damaged reputations.
Beyond the media assassins, the likes of AOC,
Ilhan Omar, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden who viciously smeared and attacked the
agents issued no statement of retraction or apology. What a drastic fall
this has been for standards for public office holders.
Sadly the
lie has already travelled around the world and the truth doesn’t even have
a chance.
After the outrage, the Border Patrol agents were
no longer permitted
to use horses to guard the border in Del Rio.
The use of horses was essential because of the uneven terrain that is
impossible to access on feet.
The impact of
the smear and prolonged ‘investigation’ can never be determined or gauged.
Perhaps Border Patrol agents under a cloud of doubt were reluctant to do their
job uncompromisingly for the fear of being branded as racist. This concern is likely to remain in the future.
The result is even more illegal and unvetted migrants cross the border. Perhaps that was one of the motives behind the smear.
Also appears in American Thinker
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