Statements
Statement by Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz in Reaction to Images of Haitian Migrants Being Violently Mistreated by U.S. Border Patrol
Yesterday, media outlets released pictures and video captured at the U.S. border showing Haitian migrants being manhandled, charged at with horses, and whipped by border patrol agents as the former attempted to cross into the United States from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.
In reaction to these disturbing images, Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz issued the following statement:
“I am appalled at the photos and videos that have been published by national media and shared online showing the mistreatment of Haitian migrants at the hands of border patrol agents on horseback. The kind of violence these images portray shocks the conscience and is wholly inappropriate in the context of any type of law enforcement in our country.
“These images of horse riding enforcers menacing, charging at and wrangling people of color are filled with the insidious and nauseating echoes of some of the darkest chapters in our country’s history, and they have no place in America in the 21st Century.
“Let me say unequivocally, the actions of these officers were categorically unacceptable. I am heartened to hear the Department of Homeland Security is pledging to conduct a swift and full investigation of these incidents. We must ensure that this type of violence and humiliation is no longer visited upon any immigrant or asylum seeker.”