DeSantis promises to leave Mexican cartel members ‘freezing dead’ if they try to cross the border
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned members of the Mexican cartel on Friday that if he is elected president and they attempt to enter the United States illegally, his administration will leave them “freezing dead at the border.”
DeSantis – who launched his 2024 bid in May – vowed to use deadly force against suspected drug dealers during an interview with conservative radio talk show host Erick Erickson at an event in Atlanta.
“We will authorize the use of lethal force against the cartels,” promised the 44-year-old presidential candidate.
“If someone comes in with fentanyl in their backpack — they even breach the border wall where there’s a wall — if they do, that’s the last thing they can do because we’re gonna leave them freezing dead at the border,” we threatened he.
“We’re not going to put up with this any longer,” DeSantis added, drawing thunderous applause.
DeSantis, who ranks second in polls behind former President Donald Trump in most 2024 Republican presidential polls, argued that the cartels under President Biden “have more control of our border than we do.”
“We now have tens of thousands of people dying from fentanyl overdoses, and it’s all being brought in because the border isn’t secure,” DeSantis told Erickson as he laid out his plan to fight the cartels and the southern border crisis.
“We’re going to build a wall, we’re going to stay in Mexico, we’re going to stop the invasion, we’re going to do all of that,” the Florida governor said.
“But when cartels act the way they are, they act like foreign terrorist organizations because they kill our people. They are poisoning our people.”
Meanwhile, at an event in Iowa last week, DeSantis signaled that he was also prepared to conduct drone strikes against drug cartels on Mexican soil.
“We will oppose the drug cartels. We expressly reserve the right. If they invade our country and kill our people, we have the right to defend this country,” the White House hopeful said.
