Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he would back the construction of a border wall and the use of military force to staunch illegal immigration if he were elected president.
The presumptive 2024 GOP contender was asked at an unrelated press conference if he would support such measures if he were ever in a position to enact national immigration policy.
“Yes and yes,” DeSantis said to applause. “I’ve always supported the walls.”
The Republican argued that the nation’s borders are too long to guard with patrols and surveillance alone effectively.
“The cartels will direct people to where there’s no surveillance,” he said. “So you have to have that. I think it’s important.”
DeSantis added that his experience with rebuilding infrastructure in areas ravaged by Hurricane Ian last year would help him expedite any future wall construction.
He cited the rapid repair of two damaged bridges in a matter of days and weeks after the storm as evidence of his ability to push through urgent projects.
“No bureaucracy, no red tape, no excuses,” he said.
While Florida does not face the same illegal immigration challenges as places like Texas and Arizona, DeSantis said the flow of fentanyl over the southern border impacts the entire nation — including the Sunshine State.
“We also have to understand the cartels are running the show,” he said. “They run the government down there [in Mexico]. It’s totally corrupt. They are running people into our country and they are running massive amounts of fentanyl into our country that’s killing tens of thousands of Americans.”
DeSantis also predicted a “massive disaster” with the Thursday expiration of the Title 42 health policy that allowed for rapid deportations at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor offered Florida’s help to besieged Texas officials, but said enforcement was only meaningful if illegal border crossers are returned to their home countries.
“The idea that you come illegally and then get to go wherever you want in the interior of the country — that’s not a deterrent, that’s not going to end up working,” he said.
Officials are predicting a flood of up to 14,000 migrants a day across the US-Mexico border after Title 42 goes away.