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.

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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.

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.