By Katherine Tinsley
11:04am PST, Feb 18, 2025
In 2022, a photographer snapped a picture of an agent grabbing a Haitian man while holding what looked like a whip in his other hand. At the time, the photo sparked outrage, as the imagery reminded many of slavery.
Despite the public concern, it was later revealed that the officer didn't lash the person in the photo.
A source told the New York Post Noem "personally apologized" to the agents, who were publicly chastised.
According to the insider, Noem expressed feelings of regret while at the Del Rio border "for the way they were treated and mentioned that it should have never happened."
When the photos went viral,
Kamala Harris discussed the incident while on
The View. Harris admitted the snapshot "invoked images of some of the worst moments of our history, where that kind of behavior has been used against the Indigenous people of our country, it has been used against African Americans during times of slavery."
During his presidency, Biden called the images "outrageous" and declared the agents "will pay."
While the staffer didn't strike the migrants, he was still accused of misconduct.
"It's clear from the investigation that decisions made by some of the agency's leadership, and the lack of appropriate policies and training, all contributed to the incident," Customs Commissioner Chris Magnus said at the time.
"But there is no justification for the actions of some of our personnel, including unprofessional and deeply offensive conduct," Magnus added.
Magnus was able to clarify that thrashing immigrants isn't something that their team does.
"Whips are not part of Border Patrol training or equipment," Magnus added.
