Maxine Waters: Haitians Chased by Border Patrol Horses 'Because They Are Black'
'They should treat them like they are treating the Afghans'
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Democrat Maxine Waters claimed that Haitians had not been treated "as human beings" when chased by horseback Border Patrol agents because they are black.
During an interview on MSNBC's "Alex Witt Reports," Waters said:
"They should treat them like they are treating the Afghans."
"We're bringing Afghans by the thousands into the country, and they deserve to be brought in because they assisted us in the war," she added.
"That's how they should be treating the Haitians, bringing in those who are eligible, vaccinating, and making sure that we're not simply trying to drive them back with our border patrol on horses, with their reins, looking at if they're beating them."
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Host Alex Witt asked Waters:
"You mentioned the Afghan refugees, those coming into our country.
"Why the different approach to them versus the Haitians?"
Waters said:
"Let me just say this, that Haitians have been the victims of, you know, not only our country but Canada and France, for years, historically."
"They're black. They're poor.
"It's the poorest country in the hemisphere.
"They have been exploited."
She added:
"It does not appear that they are seen in the same way that they see others. Haitians have been the victims because they were the first country to fight off, you know, the repression of France.
"Of course, France has made them pay a big price for it.
"Yes, I think they're treated differently because they're Black, because they're Haitians, and because traditionally they have not been treated as human beings."
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said 12,000 Haitian migrants have now been released into the U.S.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the border crisis was "exactly" what Biden wants.
"They are not blocking the Haitians anymore than blocking everyone else," he argued.
CNBC reported that the Biden administration halted the use of horses to chase migrants after a public outcry following viral photos.
Mayorkas said the administration "would no longer be using horses in Del Rio,"
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) blasted border patrol's actions:
"It doesn't matter if a Democrat or Republican is President, our immigration system is designed for cruelty towards and dehumanization of immigrants," Ocasio-Cortez said in a Twitter post.
"Immigration should not be a crime, and its criminalization is a relatively recent invention.
"This is a stain on our country."
