WASHINGTON—Mark Morgan, former acting CBP commissioner and Heritage visiting fellow, and Tom Homan, former acting ICE director and Heritage visiting fellow, released the following statements Friday in response to the Department of Homeland Security announcing punishments for mounted Border Patrol agents falsely accused of “whipping” migrants illegally crossing the border last fall.
Heritage’s Oversight Project recently filed suit against the department for documents related to the politicized investigation into the agents.
Morgan: “From the start, these agents have been smeared, lied about, and vilified by nearly everyone on the left, from trolls on social media all the way to the president of the United States at the White House podium. Never mind that the facts clearly showed that no agent had ‘whipped anyone,’ or that video was immediately available to set the record straight. These men have had their careers ruined, their reputations tarnished, and even their families threatened because the mob came after them—and the Biden administration was all too willing to oblige.
“Instead of standing up for his agents, Secretary Mayorkas threw them under the bus. I expect DHS documents will show proof of what has been clear all along—this was a politicized investigation meant to distract Americans from Biden and Mayorkas’ disaster at the border, caused by their open-borders policies. Unless Mayorkas’ next words about this matter are to explicitly correct the record, stand up for his agents, and apologize to them, nothing else he says will matter.”
Homan: “Joe Biden and his administration have consistently thrown law enforcement under the bus, and this time is no different. They continue to prove that you are innocent until proven guilty—unless you wear a badge. As someone with more than 35 years’ experience in securing our border and enforcing our immigration laws, I have never seen an administration so committed to un-securing our border and undermining the men and women of our Border Patrol, ICE, and other immigration enforcement agencies. Instead of admitting their open-borders strategy is failing, killing Americans, and undermining our national security, this administration continues to double down and look for anyone else to blame to distract from their failures—including Border Patrols agents acting in their lawful capacity to secure the border.
“This president and this administration are an embarrassment. We should be doing everything we can to support these agents, and the mission to which they’ve dedicated their careers. It’s time for Congress to also step up and hold the Biden administration accountable. That means impeaching Secretary Mayorkas on day one of the next Congress, and making meaningful oversight a reality.”
