Most governors don't enter presidential races with immigration experience under their belts. Not so for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—the 2024 hopeful has made a name for himself as a tough-on-migrants politician. From flying asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, last year, to supporting an E-Verify mandate that threatens to force undocumented workers out of Florida, DeSantis has been busy proving his hardliner bona fides.
Yesterday, while visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, DeSantis pitched his vision for a federal border policy. A detailed version of that platform was released on his website yesterday as well, featuring four pillars: "stop the invasion," "build the wall," "hold cartels accountable," and "work with states to enforce the law." The site proposes mass deportations, finishing the border wall, military action in Mexico (including port blockades), ending birthright citizenship, and allowing the use of deadly force against suspected drug smugglers who get through the border wall.
