Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis unveiled his plan to address the border crisis on Monday during a trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, — an area that has been hard hit by the migrant crisis.
The plan includes steps to secure the border — including by ending catch-and-release, reimposing the Remain in Mexico policy and building a border wall — as well as methods to hold cartels accountable and a plan to work with states to enforce the law.
“Joe Biden’s dereliction of duty has made our southern border a disaster zone. The Biden Administration is the critical link in an illegal transnational human smuggling syndicate,” DeSantis said in a statement on Monday. “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. 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’s plan would increase Border Patrol pay to supercharge recruiting and would instruct DHS to launch a recruitment campaign targeting former military members and police officers for positions at Customs and Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
The governor’s plan says he would “ take action to end the idea that the children of illegal aliens are entitled to birthright citizenship if they are born in the United States.”
“Dangling the prize of citizenship to the future offspring of illegal immigrants is a major driver of illegal migration. It is also inconsistent with the original understanding of 14th Amendment, and we will force the courts and Congress to finally address this failed policy,” the plan explains.
The plan proposes an end to the use of Notices to Report and any government funding for non-citizen travel and suggests DeSantis will work with Congress and executive action to strengthen and enforce E-Verify, which prevents businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.
Other proposals include: sanctioning and restricting visas of countries who do not accept deportees and workings with Panama to close the Darien Gap to “prevent future caravans from South American and prevent Chinese control of the Panama Canal.”
DeSantis plans to “build the wall. No excuses,” the governor’s campaign said, seemingly taking aim at Trump for failing to oversee the completion of his border wall project during his time in the White House.
“There are 600 miles open along the US-Mexico border. He will use every dollar available to him as President and every dollar he can squeeze out of Congress to get it done,” the DeSantis campaign said.
As far as efforts to hold Mexican drug cartels accountable, DeSantis says he would declare the cartels to be transnational criminal organizations and would authorize sanctions on cartels, cartel leaders, and other entities known to do business with the cartels. The governor also proposed strengthening penalties for those who traffic in fentanyl and for American citizens who work with the cartels.
The governor would also stop the Department of Justice from suing states when they enforce immigration laws.
DeSantis’s border plan comes after he announced a national coalition of 90 sheriffs that will work together to protect American communities from the consequences of the border crisis.
DeSantis signed a tough-on-immigration bill earlier this year as governor of Florida that mandates the use of E-Verify by employers and increases penalties for human and drug smuggling.