Border patrol agents on horseback in Del Rio drew outrage. Why do they still ride horses?

[Jilly_in_VA]

Video and photographs of Haitian migrants pursued by Customs and Border Protection agents on horseback at the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday drew outrage and prompted calls for investigations, even as some questioned why the agents were mounted at all.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called agents' actions a "stain on our country" Monday, while Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said it was "cruel, inhumane, and a violation of domestic and international law."

The pictures showed mounted border patrol agents waving reins in the air and charging migrants as they carried scant belongings across the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, blamed the incident on the Biden administration Tuesday.

"Because the Biden administration is doing nothing to secure our border, it has been the state of Texas that has had to step up and address this challenge," Abbott said during a visit to Del Rio.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/22/why-does-customs-and-border-protection-still-ride-horses/5790926001/
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Perdóneme, Gov. Hot Wheels, it wasn't Texans, it was the CBP. Now STFU.

[hlthe2b]

1. Well, the incident only points out how out of control CBP has become and the need to come down hard

on them to weed out the many unprofessional officers, some of who are apparently sadists.

That said, that terrain, rough as it can be might be a logical area for equine access--but they'd do better with mules, who are far more sure-footed, require less water, are more heat-resistant, and do well in areas with less grain available when packing. Of course, they are not as fast nor as male ego-supporting, so the kind of human jackasses making decisions would never consider them.

[PatSeg]

17. I can see the use of horses while patrolling that kind of terrain

but of course, not chasing down people like they are cattle. Some people really need to be fired and fast.

[BillyBobBrilliant]

2. Riding Horses?

Because it's Wild West Texas! Yee Haw!

[Treefrog]

3. Dont they use them in some big cities too?

[XanaDUer2]

4. Yes, nyc and miami had mounted police nt

[Treefrog]

6. Yeah, I think London uses them too.

[Sgent]

16. New Orleans

as well.

They are much, much better in crowds than an ATV or motorbike. CBP probably likes them due to their high vantage point when covering square miles worth of land.

[Jilly_in_VA]

24. Virginia Beach has them

which seems like an ideal gig, really. I mean, riding your horse along the beach? Wow.

[BradAllison]

23. McCloud!

[GoneOffShore]

10. NYC has a mounted patrol.

Most big cities have mounted police.

[Raine]

12. Los Angeles uses them. nt

[gojoe12]

5. What should

they have done?

[fescuerescue]

7. Is riding horses something that we get outraged about now?

If it is, I guess I missed that memo.

If I'm not mistaken, last time I was in New York City. I saw lots of cops on horses in the park just down the road from AOCs district.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

19. I think the issue is "riding down" immigrant women and children

Is that so hard to understand from even the small portion quoted in the OP?

[fescuerescue]

21. So it would be better if they used motorcyles to ride them down.

got it.

I mean, why else would the lead ask "Why do they still ride horses?"

[Orrex]

26. When a subject line begins with "So," what follows can generally be ignored

It is in most cases a goofy misrepresentation of the antecedent post’s point, intended to give the respondent an easier point to refute.

If it is your contention that it’s better to ride people down with motorcycles, then you need to support that claim; Hassan bin Sober is under no obligation to defend the point that you assigned to them.

I note with interest that you also used the loaded word “outraged.” The intent of that word is generally to deflect the discussion away from the point at hand to a squabble over whether the accused is truly outraged. It’s an intellectually dishonest rhetorical tactic.

To address your point, though: is there a long history of cops and border patrol agents riding people down with motorcycles? Like, actually running them over? I should think that a horse is more naturally sure-footed than a motorcycle and therefor less likely to fall while running someone down.

In any case, you seem to be deliberately unaware of the history of using horses to run down slaves and dark-skinned people who failed to prostrate themselves before their white “superiors.”

But if you feel that issue is less important than scoring your cheap rhetorical points, then go on with your bad self.

[fescuerescue]

28. The OP was clearly focusing on the use of horses

Not about the people.


Go ahead and read through the follow up comments. Most of them are focused on the horses too.

I think you know that.

But yes. I did find it (the horse focus) a little silly. Glad you got it! You are amazingly introspective and you signaled it well.

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Were they rounding black people up

Like cattle? Leading them tied up in rope?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

8. Hey, if he wants to take responsibility for mounted cops whipping Haitians...

Why not let him?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Whatever they're riding, they're enforcing a racist system.

[Treefrog]

11. Meanwhile, there's another thread about Haitians being dumped on a runway in Haiti.

And their belongings dumped out too. Haven’t seen much outrage about that particular atrocity so far.

The whole thing is heartbreaking.

[Devil Child]

13. Lots of horse mounted police units in operation across the globe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mounted_police_units

[Zeitghost]

14. Border Patrol

Patrols rugged areas that are often roadless. Mounted units help with access to those areas.

[XanaDUer2]

15. The horses may also be trained to help with crowd control. Nt

[Amishman]

18. PA State Police mounted unit does a crowd control demo at the PA farm show each year

It is actually pretty impressive and makes a lot more sense than you'd think.

[DBoon]

20. Because horses are smarter than people

“You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people.”

― Will Rogers

[NutmegYankee]

22. Horses are ideal for rugged terrain.

They allow officers to travel faster than they can by foot.

[GoCubsGo]

27. Yep, better than driving through those areas, as well.

Vehicles do a hell of a lot more damage to the land than do horses. Some of the land on the border is environmentally sensitive, granted, that hasn't mattered when it comes to wall building. I'd rather have them patrolling on horseback than in trucks.