White House officials decry viral Border Patrol videos: 'This is not who we are'
Prominent White House officials took to the morning shows on Tuesday to further condemn the disturbing reports of horse-mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants in Texas. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday night it will be conducting a swift investigation into the matter, and that disciplinary action will be determined based on the investigation's findings.
"One cannot weaponize a horse to aggressively attack a child. That is unacceptable," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on CNN's New Day. "That is not what our policies and our training require."
"We will not tolerate mistreatment, and we will address it with full force based on the facts that we learn," added Mayorkas. He noted that he was "horrified" and "profoundly" troubled by what he saw in the now-viral clips and images.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Separately, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki appeared on CBS to decry the tactics she defined as "horrific."
"This is not who we are," Psaki said. "That's not who the Biden-Harris administration is."
On Monday, Psaki said during a press briefing that while she didn't have the full context for the videos, she "can't imagine what context would make that appropriate." "I don't think anyone seeing that footage would think it was acceptable or appropriate," she added.
-
‘My donation felt like a rejection of the day’s politics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump wants a weaker dollar but economists aren’t so sureTalking Points A weaker dollar can make imports more expensive but also boost gold
-
Political cartoons for February 3Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include empty seats, the worst of the worst of bunnies, and more
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
