WASHINGTON — Four border police officers who were among those responding to black migrants crossing the southwestern border in Del Rio, Texas, in September, face disciplinary action for improper use or threat of violence against them, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. announced on Friday. an internal investigation.
The aggressive treatment stemmed in part from Border Patrol agents responding to a request from the Texas State Police “that directly conflicted with Border Patrol’s operational objectives,” Chris Magnus, the Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement. press conference on Friday.
While a border patrol supervisor approved the order, Mr Magnus said, more senior officials at the agency were not immediately aware of the directive.
The findings came after a nearly 10-month investigation and were detailed in a 500-page report detailing the episode that crystallized President Biden’s struggle to rebuild an orderly system on the border with Mexico. “A lack of command, control and communication” led to “the unnecessary use of force against migrants,” the report said.
In addition to the conflicting commands, Mr Magnus said, the mounted patrol units deployed to round up the migrants lacked training and supervision. While there was no evidence to confirm the allegations that the migrants had been hit with the reins of any of the horses, Mr. Magnus that the investigation found that some officers acted unprofessionally and made “disparaging” comments.
The four agents have been moved to administrative positions. Mr Magnus declined to describe the recommended disciplinary action as the review and appeal process was still ongoing.
This is a story in development. Come back for updates.
