Fox News segment blows up when Geraldo Rivera defends punishing Border Patrol agents: 'Because you're wrong!'



Fox News' "The Five" descended into chaos on Wednesday when Geraldo Rivera seemingly agreed with forthcoming discipline for mounted Border Patrol agents.

What is the background?

Last September, mounted Border Patrol agents were falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas.

Despite the false accusations, the Border Patrol agents involved in the incident were reportedly cleared of criminal wrongdoing. However, the agents will reportedly still face punishment for violating Department of Homeland Security policy.

It's not yet clear what policies the agents violated, nor how they will be disciplined.

What happened on Fox News?

While discussing the forthcoming punishment on "The Five," Rivera signaled that he supports disciplining the agents involved in the incident. But co-hosts Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld immediately interjected.

"In terms of the Border Patrol," Rivera said, "this is, you must admit, when you look at this visual — put up a shot, put up any of the shots of that series —"

"No! No! That's so wrong!" Perino interjected. "You're a lawyer; how can you say this?"

"Yeah, you're a lawyer!" Gutfeld added as Rivera continued to talk.

"You have four grown-ups, and they’re riding these big horses," Rivera continued. "And you got these people that just walked 5,000 miles risking everything, and now there are these big, macho guys —"

"Oh my God," Perino interjected again.

"How would you handle it, Geraldo?" co-host Jesse Watters asked.

"Big, macho guy? You can’t even give these guys a little — you know what? Because you can’t even apologize for being wrong on this," Gutfeld screamed.

Rivera then claimed that he is "delighted that they are not being criminally prosecuted," to which Gutfield immediately responded, "No, you're not. That's not true!"

"Don’t tell me what I am feeling. You can have your opinion, but don’t have my opinion," Rivera fired back. "I think this whole sorry chapter is better off in the rear view."

"Because you're wrong!" Gutfeld shot back. "Any time you're wrong, you wish it would be in the rearview mirror, but no, it's in the front view right now."

Perino: This goes to the top of embarrassing things for the Biden administration youtu.be

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin explained Tuesday that an announcement from the DHS regarding the punishment will come "any day now."

Border Patrol agents falsely accused of 'whipping' migrants will be punished by DHS anyway: Report



The mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents who were falsely accused of using whips to drive Haitian migrants away from the border in Del Rio, Texas, will be punished for violating Department of Homeland Security policy, according to a report.

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin revealed Tuesday that the DHS is expected to allege that multiple mounted Border Patrol agents are guilty of "administrative violations" in an incident from last September involving Haitian migrants who attempted to cross the southern border illegally.

An announcement from the DHS could come "any day now," and it is unknown what the agents will be charged with, although they will not face criminal charges, according to Melugin.

\u201cPer federal source, this announcement is expected to come down any day now. It\u2019s unclear what \u201cadministrative violations\u201d the BP agents will be accused of, but they are not being accused of any criminal conduct. The horseback unit involved is based out of Carrizo Springs, TX.\u201d
— Bill Melugin (@Bill Melugin) 1655247840

Approximately nine months ago, news reports claimed that mounted Border Patrol agents in Del Rio accosted Haitian migrants as they were attempting to cross the Rio Grande river and enter the United States illegally. Thousands of migrants who had already done so were encamped under a nearby bridge.

Photographs taken in September showed border agents riding on horseback, attempting to stop the migrants from entering the U.S., and in one photo, grabbing hold of a migrant's shirt.

At least one Border Patrol agent on horseback was falsely accused of swinging a "whip" at migrants, and Democratic activists spread that lie on social media.

\u201cBorder patrol is mounted on horseback rounding up Haitian refugees with whips.\n\nThis is unfathomable cruelty towards people fleeing disaster and political ruin. The administration must stop this.\u201d
— Sawyer Hackett (@Sawyer Hackett) 1632152009

National news organizations picked up the story even though reports that the agents whipped migrants were false. Border Patrol agents do not carry whips, and pictures that went viral showed the horses' reins, which were not being whipped at the migrants.

Nevertheless, the Biden administration reacted to the news reports with horror and disgust and issued orders prohibiting Customs and Border Patrol agents from riding on horseback. The DHS opened an investigation, and the agents at the center of the incident were placed on probation.

President Joe Biden vowed to make the agents accused of whipping migrants "pay."

"To see people treated like they did, horses barely running over, people being strapped — it’s outrageous," Biden said at the time. "I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation under way now and there will be consequences. There will be consequences."

Months later in April, news broke that the DHS had completed a 500-page report on its investigation and that the agents had been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Melugin reported that the accused agents will have the opportunity to respond to the charges that they violated agency policy.

Border Patrol agents accused of 'whipping' migrants reportedly cleared of wrongdoing. DHS has yet to confirm.



The mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents whom false reports accused of using whips to drive Haitian migrants away from the border in Del Rio, Texas, have reportedly been cleared of wrongdoing.

According to Fox News and the New York Post, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office handling the investigation into the agents' actions has cleared them of criminal wrongdoing after they were placed on probation.

: Fox reporting that the mounted Border Patrol agents falsely accused of "whipping" illegal migrants in Del Rio have been cleared! \n\nHopefully these men are fully restored after being slandered by Biden and Mayorkas. #BidenBorderCrisispic.twitter.com/oN1NpshQ1I
— John Cooper (@John Cooper) 1649889161

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the New York Post that Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Personal Responsibility has completed a 500-page report on the investigation, which is expected to be released soon. Judd said that while the agents were not found to have committed any crimes, they could still lose their jobs if investigators determined they violated agency policy.

Judd admitted he has not seen the report and does not know what conclusions the agency reached, but he also expressed concerns about its length.

“No one knows what’s in the report,” he told the Post. “I don’t know what’s in it. As of yesterday afternoon, the chief of the Border Patrol didn’t know what’s in it.”

“I’ve never seen a 500-page report where no one did anything wrong,” he added.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond when asked to confirm if the agents had been cleared or when the report would be released.

Viral images that appeared to show Border Patrol agents on horseback "rounding up Haitian refugees with whips" led to widespread outrage last September, with Democrats and immigration activists accusing CBP of treating migrants inhumanely and potentially criminally.

News reports said that a mounted U.S. Border Patrol agent swung a "whip" at Haitian migrants who were attempting to cross the Rio Grande river and illegally enter the United States near Del Rio, Texas, where thousands more migrants were encamped under a bridge.

Border patrol is mounted on horseback rounding up Haitian refugees with whips.\n\nThis is unfathomable cruelty towards people fleeing disaster and political ruin. The administration must stop this.pic.twitter.com/BSjT91NSj0
— Sawyer Hackett (@Sawyer Hackett) 1632152009

Those reports turned out to be false. Border Patrol agents do not carry whips, and it became apparent that the viral photos were showing the horses' reins, which were not being whipped at migrants, as many wrongly claimed.

“I didn’t ever see them whip anybody, with the thing,” photographer Paul Ratije told local news station KTSM. “He was swinging it. But I didn’t see him actually take — whip someone with it. That’s something that can be misconstrued when you’re looking at the picture.”

Townhall writer Julio Rosas reported at the time that Border Patrol agents on horseback will sometimes spin their reins to deter people from getting to close to the horse, which is dangerous and could lead to severe injury.

Regardless of the facts, the Biden administration responded to the controversy by prohibiting CBP agents from riding on horseback in Del Rio and placing the agents at the center of the incident on probation, pending an investigation. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told news outlets he was "troubled" by the accusations and "horrified" by the images, without giving his agents the benefit of the doubt.

Jen Psaki jumped in multiple times, as well. Here she is Monday, saying, "Of course they should never be able to do it again...It's obviously horrific."\n\nShe then ironically says she needs to get more information. #BidenBorderCrisispic.twitter.com/1Ns85IqzNP
— John Cooper (@John Cooper) 1632511620

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris each said there would need to be "consequences" for the accused agents, before any wrongdoing was confirmed.

And finally, you have the president of the United States weighing in on an ongoing investigation, saying "those people will pay...There will be consequences."\n\nIncredibly inappropriate, and ensures that investigation cannot be conducted fairly. #BidenBorderCrisispic.twitter.com/uzoF2NtCsw
— John Cooper (@John Cooper) 1632511649

Judd told the New York Post those agents remain on desk duty as they await the investigation's conclusions.

Report: Mounted Border Patrol agents being investigated over debunked narrative face suspension



The Border Patrol agents at the center of a controversy in which they were falsely accused of "whipping" Haitian migrants will likely only receive a light slap on the wrist pending the outcome of an investigation.

What is the background?

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised a swift investigation into the incident between Border Patrol agents on horseback and Haitian migrants.

"I want to assure you that we are addressing this with tremendous speed and tremendous force," Mayorkas told lawmakers last week. "It will be completed in days – not weeks."

Days later, President Joe Biden promised to make the agents involved in the incident "pay" for their actions.

"I promise you, those people will pay," Biden said. "There will be consequences."

Biden's comments came one day after the photographer who snapped the now-infamous images of the skirmish between the Border Patrol agents and migrants spoke out about the incident, claiming he did not witness agents use their reins against the migrants. An Associated Press journalist who witnessed the incident released video footage that corroborated the photographer's account.

What is happening now?

The Border Patrol agents — whom Mayorkas said are on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation — will likely be suspended for a few days with pay, senior Biden administration officials told Fox News.

A total of six Border Patrol agents are reportedly under investigation. Fox News reported the Justice Department is even investigating the potential that immigration agents violated the civil rights of migrants.

More from Fox News:

An official told Fox News that this was the first time the horse unit was assigned to the bridge, and their first exposure to the migrant surge -- where more than 15,000 migrants were gathered at the bridge.

The agents are said not to have had clear rules of engagement, but listened to the radio and went to help other agents who needed it and prevent the migrants from crossing.

Another official told Fox News the agents did not lose their badge or gun, but are simply looking after their horses as the investigation runs its course.

"Either you are riding the horse or taking care of the horse and that is what they're doing for the last few days ... looking after the horses," the official said.

Anything else?

In a scenario where the Border Patrol agents lose their jobs, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday he would hire them to help protect the Lone Star State.

"I want them to know something: If they are at risk of losing their job at a president who is abandoning his duty to secure the border, you have a job in the state of Texas," Abbott said on "Fox News Sunday."

"I will hire you to help Texas secure our border," he promised.

NY Times issues major correction after claiming Border Patrol agents used horse reins 'to strike' migrants



The New York Times issued a significant correction Friday on a story involving mounted Border Patrol agents allegedly whipping Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas.

What are the details?

The New York Times published a story Friday centering on President Joe Biden's remarks about the controversy. Earlier in the day, Biden promised that Border Patrol agents involved in the incident would "pay" for their actions.

"It's outrageous," Biden said. "I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation, underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences."

PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images

In describing the actions of the Border Patrol agents, the New York Times embellished what Border Patrol agents had actually done. In fact, the so-called "newspaper of record" claimed that mounted agents had struck Haitian migrants.

"The images of agents on horseback chasing, & in some cases using the reins of their horses to strike at running migrants," the paper reported.

However, that was not true. More importantly, the photographer who snapped the infamous images of the skirmish between Border Patrol and the Haitian migrants had already said, before the Times published its story, that he did not witness the alleged abuse of Haitian migrants.

What did the Times do?

The Times edited its story and published a correction. The correction admits that the Times "overstated" what had occurred in Del Rio.

In fact, the correction admits what was already known at the time the story was published: There was no evidence that Border Patrol agents had struck migrants.

"An earlier version of this article overstated what is known about the behavior of some Border Patrol agents on horseback," the correction stated. "While the agents waved their reins while pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande, The Times has not seen conclusive evidence that migrants were struck with the reins."

"An earlier version... overstated what is known about the behavior of some Border Patrol agents on horseback. While… https://t.co/UjCBugcqUi

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) 1632746452.0

The paragraph in question now syas that Border Patrol agents were "waving their reins."

Images of Border Patrol agents on horseback waving their reins while pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande have prompted a torrent of criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups who have accused Mr. Biden of continuing some of the most aggressive approaches to immigration put in place by President Donald J. Trump.

Anything else?

Not only did the photographer debunk the false narrative about the mounted Border Patrol agents, but an Associated Press journalist who recorded the incident released video that she took of the skirmish.

The video showed that Border Patrol agents did not strike or abuse the migrants.