Four Border Patrol Agents Face Disciplinary Review for Confrontation with Haitian Migrants as OPR Finds CBP Command Failures

Bridget Johnson reports for Homeland Security Today that

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP] has referred four agents to a Discipline Review Board for the September incident in which Border Patrol agents on horseback confronted migrants trying to enter the United States . . . but found no evidence in the agency’s internal investigation that any of the migrants were whipped by horse reins.

After the Sept. 19 incident, media outlets released video of agents aggressively interacting with migrants, including twirling reins, as they tried to stop them from entering the country at the bank of the Rio Grande.

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility {OPR] initially asked the Office of Inspector General to probe the incident involving the Carrizo Springs Station Horse Patrol Unit, but OIG bounced the matter back to OPR. DHS promised at the time that “the employees will be afforded due process, including an opportunity to respond, and any corrective actions will comport with applicable laws and regulations.” OPR also presented the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas on Sept. 29 and were told March 11 that the office would not prosecute those involved.” (bold added).

Here is the OPR report.

A Washington Post news story by Will Weissert on the report is here.

KJ