The infamous image of a Haitian refugee being chased by a mounted border agent has been reportedly minted on an unofficial memorial coin and is being circulated among patrol officers as a warning to migrants.
The memorabilia, believed to have been minted unofficially, showed the controversial image of the Haitian refugee being held with his T-shirt by a guard sitting on a horse as he tried to run away. The officer was also seen using his reins as a whip.
The incident sparked a huge backlash, leading to president Joe Biden asking for accountability from the officer in question. An independent investigation was launched into the treatment of migrants.
The image sparked a huge backlash as people pointed out that it served as a grim reminder of slave patrols and the treatment of people of colour.
While the investigative committee has still not made any findings public, the coin now seems to be minted to mark the incident and carried a warning against migrants.
“Reining it in since May 28, 1924,” the coin read on one side, according to images obtained by Miami Herald. It also said: “Yesterday’s border is not today’s border.”
It had a warning on the rim of the coin: “You will be returned.”
It is not clear how many of these coins were minted, however, according to Seattle Times, 41 of them were recently sold on eBay for $15.19 per piece.
The authorities at the customs and border protection office have said the incident is under investigation, adding that whoever is responsible for the creation of distribution of the coin will face “appropriate action”.
“The images depicted on this coin are offensive, insensitive, and run counter to the core values of CBP,” Luis Miranda, a CBP public affairs officer, was quoted by Seattle Times as saying. “This is not an official CBP coin.”
