Back in September 2021, the migrant crisis had turned the Texas borderlands into a flood, with tens of thousands of illegal border crossers flowing into the U.S.

Social media were inundated with images of Haitian migrants wading across the Rio Grande River to enter Texas.

A few independent news outlets filmed scenes of more than fifteen thousand mostly Haitian migrants living in a makeshift migrant camp shantytown under the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

Back then, the mainstream media's devotion to Joe Biden was still undivided and absolute.  The dedication still prevails, even though Biden has done so poorly that they can no longer defend him unconditionally.  It was around this time, just after Biden's disastrous Afghanistan pullout, that Biden's poll numbers began to decisively turn downward, and the media knew it.

polls pic.twitter.com/i0rx1Vr9so

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 8, 2022

Desperate for a distraction, the administration seized a news photograph that went viral on social media appearing to show a Border Patrol agent on horseback whipping a fleeing Haitian non-white immigrant.

Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) were outraged, as they always are.  They slammed the actions of the Border Patrol agents as cruel, racist, and a violation of human rights.

Then–White House press secretary Jen Psaki jumped in.  She claimed Biden found footage of Border Patrol agents on horseback whipping at Haitian migrants at the border "horrific" and "horrible." 

Vice President Kamala Harris had the worst overreaction, claiming it reminded her of tactics applied "against African-Americans during times of slavery."

Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas originally defended the agents until the outrage narrative became apparent and he too climbed onboard.  The migrant crisis, after all, was a failure at his doorstep, and he was glad to feign outrage because it changed the subject.

Biden personally condemned the U.S. Border Patrol, calling the behavior of agents on horseback "outrageous," and vowed that the agents would "pay" for their actions. 

Biden on the lie that border patrol were using whips on illegal immigrants at the border:

"To see people treated like they did? Horses running them over? People being strapped? It's outrageous. I promise you, those people will pay." pic.twitter.com/Jx79KoYTy9

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 24, 2021

The media were relieved that they no longer had to focus on another of Biden's failures and dedicated all their air time talking about "systemic" racism and "institutionalized" xenophobia.

The Customs and Border Protection announced a "full-scale" investigation into the matter.  The agents were suspended, and horse mounted patrols in the dangerous road-free badlands, where only horses can get through, was discontinued.

Finally, the photographer of the image set the record straight.  He clarified that what appeared to be the cracker of a whip was actually the long reins used to give directions or cues to horses in rugged terrain.  Since the photo was capturing the horse in motion, the rein was aerial, causing it to appear like a whip directed at the fleeing Haitian migrant.

The N.Y. Post reported that the morale of the Border Patrol agents hit an all-time low after the relentless attacks and the media trial that followed.  The supposed "swift" investigation that was to follow wasn't so swift, though, and it wasn't until yesterday that Customs and Border Protection revealed the results of its investigation.  The Border Patrol agents falsely accused of "whipping" illegal Haitian immigrants were cleared of any wrongdoing. 

It is amazing that the agency took over nine months to investigate a matter that was perfectly obvious to a naked human eye.

But the Bidenites were wedded to their phony "narrative" and determined that the agents be punished for something, anything...so the investigation also stated that the agents had used "unnecessary" force against the migrants.  One agent was also found to have used "denigrating and inappropriate language and to have maneuvered his horse unsafely" during the incident.  Hence, disciplinary action was recommended against the agents. 

🚨@CBP says no evidence that any migrants were “whipped” by BP agents, despite politicians/media rushing to judgment.@CBPChrisMagnus: “it was inevitable & certainly not surprising that there was going to be a reaction” from the media & elected officials. “Not at all surprising” pic.twitter.com/TSM3diM3Yd

— Mark McDonald (@Mark_D_McDonald) July 8, 2022

As expected, the media did not carry this story of the clearing with the same intensity with which they carried the smear. 

Consequently, the perception that Border Patrol agents were whipping helpless Haitian migrants will remain in the minds of many.

NPR carried an article headlined "Border Patrol agents used 'unnecessary' force at Del Rio, report finds," and the details of the agents being cleared of whipping the migrants were buried in the text.  USA Today focused on proposed disciplinary action against the agents.  The headline of their report read, "Border Patrol proposes disciplinary action for horse-mounted agents who clashed with Haitians."

This is why the late, great Rush Limbaugh referred to them as drive-by media.  They arrive to cover major breaking news by stirring up emotions to a fever pitch.  They spread falsehoods, ruin reputations, and inflame the situation.  By the time real facts emerge, they either have moved on to the next story or selectively present facts to hide their mendacity.  They do not have the decency or the concern to issue corrections or retractions to repair damaged reputations.

Beyond the media assassins, the likes of AOC, Ilhan Omar, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden, who viciously smeared and attacked the agents, issued no statement of retraction or apology.  What a drastic fall this has been for standards for public office–holders.

Sadly, the lie has already traveled around the world, and the truth doesn't even have a chance.

After the outrage, the Border Patrol agents were no longer permitted to use horses to guard the border in Del Rio.  The use of horses was essential because of the roadless, uneven terrain that is impossible to access on foot or even with vehicles.

The impact of the smear and prolonged "investigation" can never be determined or gauged.  Perhaps the overworked Border Patrol agents under a cloud of doubt were reluctant to do their job uncompromisingly for the fear of being branded as racist.  This concern is likely to remain.

The result is even more illegal and unvetted migrants cross the border.  Perhaps that was one of the motives behind the smear.

Image: Screen shot from AJ+ video via shareable YouTube.