During the House Committee on Homeland Security, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was accused of laughing during a discussion about a commemorative coin depicting Haitian migrants being chased by a Border Patrol agent.
The coin, which appeared for the first time last year on eBay, depicts a rider on a horse with a whip chasing a Black Haitian migrant. The text on one side reads, “Horse Patrol Unit – Haitian invasion – Deflecting allegations for years.” The other side shows a Border Patrol officer on a horse whipping a migrant, with the text “Whipping a** since 1924.”
Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) was outraged, asking Greene: “It was shocking to depict someone on a horse, with a whip, whipping a human being. And that’s funny? That engenders giggles? That’s funny—people being whipped. Wow.”
Greene defended her behavior and declared, “There’s no one on this committee who thinks whipping is a laughing matter. I was laughing about something completely unrelated. And it’s extremely poor behavior of people on this committee to continue to attack my character for political points, likely for campaign ads.”
On Twitter, Greene wrote, “Democrats are offended by an unofficial challenge coin but want to amend our border protection bill because of their fake outrage. Either way, aren’t Americans still entitled to the First Amendment?”
This incident has brought up a lot of questions about the use of violence by Border Patrol officers in the U.S. and the origin of the coin. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has distanced itself from the coin, telling The New York Times that the images on it are “offensive, insensitive, and run counter to the values of CBP.”
The CBP also told The Los Angeles Times that they are investigating whether any federal employee sold or made the coin, but those responsible are yet to be identified. President Joe Biden has officially condemned the incident and promised the people responsible “will pay.”
The debate over this coin and the use of violence by Border Patrol agents is an important one. However, the left’s narrative that Border Patrol agents actually whipped anyone has been debunked. The truth is that Border Patrol agents are highly trained professionals whose job is to protect and serve, not whip.
The conversation about this collector’s coin, as well as the left’s debunked narrative, is an important one that needs to continue. We need to ensure that the truth is being heard and that justice is served.
Democrats are offended by an unofficial challenge coin but want to amend our border protection bill because of their fake outrage.
Either way, aren’t Americans still entitled to the First Amendment? pic.twitter.com/YxXHbhW11h
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 27, 2023