A Texas Republican said Border Patrol agents seen abusing Haitian migrants are doing 'God’s work'

U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback were recently filmed using their reins to whip at Haitian migrants who were trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border, and Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas — not to be confused with fellow Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio — has been defending what others are denouncing as cruelty.

During a September 21 appearance on CNN, the 40-year-old Gonzales said, "It's a very desperate situation, and they're doing God's work, fighting everything they can…. The last thing any of us want to see is the mistreatment of anyone, to include migrants, but when you have tens of thousands of people and only hundreds of Border Patrol agents, it creates a very desperate situation."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will be investigating the treatment of Haitian migrants near the U.S./Mexico border. In an official statement, DHS said, "The footage is extremely troubling, and the facts learned from the full investigation, which will be conducted swiftly, will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken."

Business Insider's Eliza Relman described the reason why so many Haitian migrants feel a sense of desperation. In an article published on September 22, Relman explained, "Haiti is suffering from urgent humanitarian and political crises. In July, the president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated when gunmen stormed his residence. The country's top prosecutor has since said there's evidence the acting prime minister played a role in the assassination. Meanwhile, the United Nations has reported that 800,000 Haitians were impacted by the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the country last month, which killed more than 2000 people."

A Haitian migrant recently told Al Jazeera, "Everyone knows what we Haitians are going through. There's no president. Crime is high. Students can't go to school. There's no work. The economy is down. People can't put up with that."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki slammed the images of U.S. Border Patrol agents abusing Haitian migrants as "horrific," and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke out as well:

Vice President Kamala Harris attacked the images as "horrible":

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota tweeted:

Here are some more reactions to the treatment of Haitian migrants near the U.S./Mexico Border: