US border agents are taking extreme measures to remove Haitian refugees who are seeking protection from their violence-ridden country following the earthquake and assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse. As reported by VICE, families who were attempting to escape the social and political crisis in Haiti encountered patrol officers on horseback who were equipped with whips that were used to remove them.

“This is why your country’s shit because you use your women for this,” one officer reportedly told a group of Haitian women carrying food across the Rio Grande. In other images that surfaced the web, photos of the agents screaming and chasing the Haitian people with their whips in hand.

Per NBC News, the migrants had created a makeshift camp, which garnered more than 12,000 people at one point. Since the large influx conflicts with authorities’ attempt to reduce the number of people fleeing to the U.S. for safety, they have taken action to remove the Haitian evacuees who’ve successfully made it to the border.

Nearly 3,300 migrants have already been moved from Del Rio, Texas since Friday (Sept. 17), and the U.S. Border Patrol are aiming to “quickly” process 12,662 more people this week.

“We have no choice at this point but to increase repatriation flights,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He said that flights would take migrants either to Haiti or “possibly other countries.” The first three flights reportedly arrived in Haiti with 327 people on Sunday (Sept. 19), but families claimed they were unaware of where they were being taken.

According to Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, “arrangements have already been made” to receive the groups of people who are and will be captured by the border agents over the next week; a Haitian immigration official, however, claimed the country was not prepared to receive the influx of Haitians that will be returning to their native land.