The photographer who took controversial photos at the Texas border says that the images have been dramatically misinterpreted.
Despite hysterical accusations that mounted Border Patrol agents chased migrants with whips, photographer Paul Ratje says that he saw nothing of the sort at the border in Del Rio on Sunday.
'I've never seen them whip anyone,' Ratje told KTSM-TV. The still images actually depict the mounted agents swinging the long reins of their horses, not holding whips.
'He was swinging it, but it can be misconstrued when you're looking at the picture,' said Ratje, who shot the photos from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande river.
The photos drew condemnation from Biden and around the world, but the photographer now says that they do not depict whipping as some have claimed
The photographer who took controversial photos at the Texas border says that the images have been dramatically misinterpreted
Photographer Paul Ratje (above) says that he did not witness whipping at the border
The photos were taken as thousands of Haitian migrants poured across the border illegally at Del Rio, believing that the Biden administration would not deport them
The photos were taken as thousands of Haitian migrants poured across the border illegally at Del Rio, with up to 15,000 crammed into a squalid camp there at the peak of the crisis.
'Some of the Haitian men started running, trying to go around the horses,' Ratje explained of his photos.
Ratje is a photographer based in Las Cruces and has been in Del Rio since Friday. His photos drew international criticism for the Border Patrol after they were distributed worldwide by AFP.
Critics said the images from were reminiscent of both cowboys attempting to herd livestock and times in history when horse-mounted police, prison guards or slave owners used whips against black people.
The incident prompted widespread outrage and is under investigation. The agents have been assigned to administrative duties and the Department of Homeland Security said it has suspended the use of horses in Del Rio.
President Joe Biden on Friday reacted to the photos, saying it was 'horrible' to see the way agents used horses block people from crossing the Rio Grande and he promised that 'people will pay' as a result.
He claimed the photos showed migrants being 'strapped', a term for flogging someone with a strip of
