Seriously? Gov Abbott Says He’d Hire Border Agents Accused of Whipping Migrants

I've been a Texan practically all my life, and I mean all my life. I'm a proud Texan in love with the music, culture, and especially food of this great state.

But this might be the only time I can remember being deeply disappointed with my state. (Though it was tough when police brutality prompted protests in Killeen and other Texas towns.)

I'm a believer in in following these rules: keep your head down, make good decisions, and most importantly, treat others the way you wanna be treated.

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A Thin Line Between Duty and Hate

When I heard that Governor Greg Abbot was perfectly OK with the idea of U.S. border patrol agents charging at migrants and the southern border and possibly using long reins to whip them, and that he was upset at the idea of them losing their jobs over it, I was confused.

After all, I'm just as much a human being as the immigrants who reportedly received these whippings. Do I think it's ok to try to sneak over the border illegally? No. There are rules and clear reasons why that isn't allowed. But being a woman of color, I can't get the image of agents on horseback whipping Haitian immigrants out of my head.

Treat Others How You Want To Be Treated

My first thought upon seeing the reports and images was that this looked like a reenactment of slave catchers at work. Being a person with Haitian heritage as well, it broke my heart and made me question my faith in and hope for humanity.

I'm a believer in doing your job and doing it correctly, and surely there are alternatives to using whips on other human beings - I'm certain of it.

If we're ok with this sort of behavior, we as Texans and human beings need to go back to the drawing board.