Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is demanding that the Biden administration apologize for falsely accusing four mounted Border Patrol agents of whipping Haitian migrants at the southern border with Mexico last year.
“There’s no question that this was political,” Paxton told Fox News on Friday, joining other Republicans in demanding a mea culpa from the president.
“And it’s really unfortunate that these border agents who have given their lives to secure our border and protect Americans [sic]. And here they are punished; they should be rewarded,” he added.
A 511-page report released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Personal Accountability this week found the whipping allegations false and exonerated the agents.
The investigation was prompted after images surfaced of agents on horseback in Del Rio, Texas detaining Haitian migrants in September, and President Biden falsely accused them of wrongdoing.
“To see people treated the way they did … people wearing seat belts — it’s outrageous,” the president said at the time, before vowing, “I promise you, these people will pay.”
Border Patrol agents on horseback try to stop Haitian migrants from entering the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021. PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images
Despite CBP’s findings, Biden insisted officials find something about the agents. The head of the Border Patrol union, Brandon Judd, accused Biden of “political success” against the four agents, who face punishments ranging from a disciplinary letter to dismissal.
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