Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is not backing down Friday after it turned out that the viral narrative that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was “whipping” Haitian migrants at the border turned out to be false.
“These are human rights abuses, plain and simple. Cruel, inhumane, and a violation of domestic and international law. This needs a course correction and the issuance of a clear directive on how to humanely process asylums [sic] seekers at our border,” Omar said on Twitter when the scandal first emerged.
These are human rights abuses, plain and simple.
Cruel, inhumane, and a violation of domestic and international law. This needs a course correction and the issuance of a clear directive on how to humanely process asylums seekers at our border. https://t.co/tdDN70Hz1z
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) September 20, 2021
But the story turned out to be a non-scandal after all, according to a photographer who took one of the viral photographs of the incident.
“Some of the Haitian men started running, trying to go around the horses. I’ve never seen them whip anyone,” photographer Paul Ratje told KTSM. “He was swinging it, but it can be misconstrued when you’re looking at the picture.”
It turns out, the CBP agent on horseback was simply pulling the horse’s reins.
But before the full story emerged, Democrats, including Omar, pounced on the incident, whipping up a frenzy against CBP.
The Minnesota Sun reached out to Omar to see if she would retract her false claim that CBP had committed “human rights abuses.” Her office did not respond to The Sun’s comment request.
It appears that Democrats will stick with the narrative, though it has been disproven.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the incident “horrific,” and Vice President Kamala Harris described the photos as “troubling.”
Even President Joe Biden weighed in Friday, well after the facts came to light.
“To see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped – it’s outrageous,” Biden said during a press conference. “I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation underway now and there will be consequences. There will be consequences.”
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Minnesota Sun and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
