GOP presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rolled out his plan to tackle illegal immigration and the drug trade during a campaign stop on the U.S. southern border on Monday.
In an event with Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), DeSantis announced his immigration plan for his potential administration. He seeks to gain an edge over former President Donald Trump, who leads the Republican presidential field, on one of Trump’s signature issues in the 2024 GOP primary.
DeSantis hit President Joe Biden over the state of the border, which has experienced record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States since Biden took office. The Florida governor also took a swipe at Trump, promising to do more than the former president did to secure the border.
“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,” DeSantis said in a statement, according to The Washington Examiner. “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’ plan, titled “No Excuses,” rests on four pillars: “stop the invasion,” “build the wall,” “hold cartels accountable,” and “work with states to enforce the law.”
BREAKING: 2024 Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has officially debuted his plan "to secure the border once and for all."
DeSantis vowed to go beyond anything Trump had done and named the plan "No Excuses"
The 4-pillar plan is below: Wall, Cartels, Invasion, States pic.twitter.com/SwEXgjQu5z
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) June 26, 2023
The DeSantis plan involves several reforms, including scrapping Biden’s parole program that the administration has credited for a drop in illegal immigrant encounters at the border since Title 42 was repealed last month. DeSantis also promised to end the Biden approach of catch-and-release and reinstate Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
The proposition vows to “build the wall. No excuses,” and use the U.S. military to aid Border Patrol agents. It includes strategies such as ramping up the battle with drug cartels, declaring them Transnational Criminal Organizations, and laying out “rules of engagement” for U.S. forces to fight cartels along the border.
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“I look at the issue at the border, and there’s some people, some people in the media, some people of certain political persuasions that just dismiss it as kind of a Texas problem or an Arizona problem. But I’m here to tell you when you don’t have control of your own border, that’s an American problem,” DeSantis told a crowd of supporters in Texas on Monday.
Governor DeSantis Speaks in Eagle Pass, Texas https://t.co/MTqoU53tyL
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 26, 2023
In his remarks, DeSantis touted his immigration policies in Florida, such as sending Florida National Guard members to help Texas on two separate occasions and controversially flying illegal immigrants to self-proclaimed sanctuary jurisdictions in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and California.