Mayorkas meets with Border Patrol agents falsely accused of 'whipping' migrants — but doesn't apologize: Report

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly did not apologize to the mounted Border Patrol agents who were falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants two years ago.

Mayorkas traveled to the Del Rio sector of the southern border on Wednesday to meet with Border Patrol Chief Jason Owen, allegedly to receive an operational update about the border crisis. But the real reason for his visit, according to WOIA-TV, was to apologize to Owen and his agents for falsely accusing them of abusing migrants in the infamous "whipping" scandal.

From WOIA:

[M]ore than two years after the initial allegations, sources say Mayorkas was in Uvalde to apologize to border patrol, and especially now Chief Jason Owens, who was in charge of the Del Rio sector at the time of the incident.

However, according to sources who spoke with Fox News, that apology never came.

Mayorkas, the news outlet reported, spoke with the agents about the incident, including how it impacted their lives. The tone of the meeting, the sources said, was "professional" and "respectful."

Blaze News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The agency did not immediately respond.

What is the background?

As Haitian migrants overwhelmed the border in September 2021, the Border Patrol deployed its mounted units — agents on horseback — to help control a situation that was quickly getting out of hand.

Those agents were accused of "whipping" migrants after photographers snapped pictures showing horses in motion, reins flaring, and migrants running. The images, Mayorkas later claimed, "painfully conjured up the worst elements of our nation's ongoing battle against systemic racism."

President Joe Biden later vowed to punish the agents.

"It was horrible to see people treated like they did: horses nearly running them over and people being strapped. It’s outrageous," Biden said. "I promise you, those people will pay. An investigation is underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences. It’s an embarrassment."

The evidence on the ground, video and witnesses, quickly disproved the narrative. The Border Patrol quickly opened an investigation and suspended the use of mounted agents.,

Last summer, the agency quietly cleared the agents of the allegation that they had whipped or otherwise abused the migrants.

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