Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said during an interview in Iowa late last week that if he is elected president, he will deport foreign students who are in the U.S. on visas if they do things like cheer on Hamas or other hostile foreign adversaries.
DeSantis made the remarks at an event hosted by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) known as the “Triple MMM Tailgate” fundraiser.
During an interview, DeSantis talked about the importance of getting President Joe Biden’s illegal immigration crisis under control by securing the southern border and restricting who is allowed to enter the country.
“Day one, it’s going to be a national emergency,” he said. “And I think what this terrorist attack in Israel has shown us is we’re vulnerable from all the people that have come illegally because they have come from Iran too. It’s not just Mexico, Central America; Russia, China, Middle East, all that stuff.”
“But I think what we also saw when the blood wasn’t even dry on the Israelis who had been massacred, you had people in America going out protesting in favor of Hamas,” he continued. “And that’s like, very chilling. Some of these people are not U.S. citizens, they’re [on] student visas. So as president, if you’re on a student visa, and you’re a foreigner, and you’re out there celebrating terrorism, I’m canceling your visa and I’m sending you home.”
He said that he would send the U.S. military to the southern border and that those who have come into the U.S. illegally would be sent back to their country. He added that the drug cartels would be treated like terrorist organizations and that the U.S. military would be used to deal with them.
WATCH:
When I’m President, if foreign students are out there celebrating terrorism, I will cancel their visas and send them home. pic.twitter.com/BPcVls2w7e
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 21, 2023