Texas Gov. Abbott Vows to Employ US Border Patrol Agents Whose Jobs Are 'At Risk' by Biden Admin
© REUTERS / LUCAS JACKSON
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US President Joe Biden garnered GOP criticism by telling reporters on Friday that "there will be consequences" after US Border Patrol agents on horseback were seen attacking Haitian migrants approaching the US border with Mexico. The White House dismissed claims that Biden's remarks on the agents interfered with an ongoing probe.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) came to the defense of mounted US Border Patrol agents seen charging Haitian migrants earlier this month, stating that the blame was on Biden and his administration, rather than on the actions of horse-riding border officers.
"You have a job in the state of Texas," the Texas governor asserted during a Sunday appearance on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. "I will hire you to help Texas secure our border."
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced during a September 24 news conference that there were "no longer any migrants" camping under the International Bridge in Del Rio.
The DHS Secretary confirmed that expulsions are continuing as the Biden administration continues to uphold Title 42, a 1944 public health authorization that allows the government to cite public health concerns to deport migrants from the country without due process.
The agents under DHS investigation have since reportedly been assigned to administrative duties, and will not be interacting with migrants until the probe wraps, Mayorkas added. Top officials at the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), the compliance arm of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have been assigned to lead the investigation.
Mayorkas highlighted that findings from the probe will be made public by the DHS.
Many GOP lawmakers and politicos remarked that Biden got ahead of the probe's findings by making a number of presumptive remarks on who needs to "pay" for the incident during his Friday address to the public.
Biden’s Pentagon was caught misleading about drone striking children instead of terrorists: fired no one, held no one accountable
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) September 24, 2021
Biden on border patrol agents riding horses, trying to do their jobs: “They will pay”
The US president also endorsed a debunked claim that Haitians were whipped by Border Patrol agents.
"To see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped – it’s outrageous," Biden contended. "I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation underway now and there will be consequences. There will be consequences."
"The only actions so far taken by this administration is to make it worse, is to go after Border Patrol agents," Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) said on Saturday. "Their morale is low, they are getting no medical care, they’re forced to process thousands and thousands of people a day who probably have COVID, who probably have other diseases."
