Republican Florida Gov. and 2024 hopeful Ron DeSantis released his plan Monday to secure the southern border if he’s elected president, according to a copy of the proposal obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
DeSantis, who is touring the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas, Monday, wants to “stop the invasion,” build a border wall, target the cartels and leverage state law enforcement authorities to help federal authorities, according to the proposal. During the Biden administration, illegal immigration at the southern border has spiked to more than 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022 and more than 1.4 million between October 2022 and May, according to federal data. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Says He Met To ‘Compare Notes’ With Texas Sheriff On Potentially Prosecuting DeSantis)
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis goes after Donald Trump (Screenshot, Never Back Down, Twitter)
“Joe Biden’s dereliction of duty has made our southern border a disaster zone. The Biden Administration is the critical link in an illegal transnational human smuggling syndicate,” DeSantis said in a statement shared with the DCNF.
Part of DeSantis’ plan includes detaining illegal migrants until their court dates and reinstating a Trump-era program that forced certain illegal migrants to await their court dates in Mexico, according to the proposal. On his first day in office, if elected to serve as president, DeSantis will instruct the military to help Border Patrol begin border wall construction.
DeSantis will allow U.S. maritime authorities to stop the flow of drugs into the U.S. if the Mexican government doesn’t stop the cartels’ manufacturing operations, according to the plan. He also will send additional resources to supporting Border Patrol agents at the northern border of the U.S., which has also experienced a surge in illegal immigration in recent months.
“For decades, leaders from both parties have produced empty promises on border security, and now it is time to act to stop the invasion once and for all. As president, I will declare a national emergency on day one and will not rest until we build the wall, shut down illegal entry, and win the war against the drug cartels. No excuses. We will get it done,” DeSantis said.
As governor of Florida, DeSantis recently sent state law enforcement authorities to the southern border to support Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s security efforts. In the last year, DeSantis has also sent charter planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Sacramento, California.
DeSantis received backlash for the flights and is facing an investigation led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which accuses him of “kidnapping” and coercing the migrants onto the flights.
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