I ride horses and do some training. I didn't see a single whip in the still shots, nor in the video. That guy just has really long braided leather reins (seen in other stills and in the video). It did look in the video like he was kind of flipping it around as he was riding, the same as may be done when herding cattle to keep them moving, but he wasn't hitting anyone with it. I'll also note that an actual whip would have a different trajectory and wouldn't have the quirk in it that this rein does, which appears to be doing its own thing as the rider tries to grab the immigrant.

This is a video op if I ever saw one... 3 guys on horseback trying to round up a group of 10 people...

Come on guys, if this were real wouldn’t they deploy more than 3 men on horseback? And why are they on horses when their is a vehicle right beside them in one frame?

This is a publicity stunt.

This is Texas people...horses are a tool there. I have ridden my whole life and I see no whips, just braided reins...Horses are perfect for this kind of roundup...

Blessings

deal with the criminals however you must