Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida and presidential candidate in the Republican primary, said that if elected as the next president of the United States, he will order the military to shoot members of the cartels trying to cross the wall on the southern border.
"If there’s a woman with a baby, they’re not a cartel member, there’s not going to be authorization to just shoot somebody like that. But when somebody’s got a backpack on and they’re in there breaking through the wall, you know, that’s hostile intent, and you have every right to take action under those circumstances," DeSantis said in an interview with CBS News anchor Norah O'Donnell and reported by the Daily Wire.
He argued that cartels on the border contribute to increased crime and put U.S. citizens in danger. He stressed that the country must take action in light of the situation.
"The reality is, they are overrunning our border, they’re sex trafficking, they’re human trafficking and they’re bringing in massive quantities of drugs. I’ll tell you this, I’m going to have the military at the border, 100%. I mean, if they’re trying to break through the wall, we will have deadly force authorized to be able to stop that," DeSantis added.
DeSantis has taken a tough stance on immigration enforcement. In January, he called on the National Guard to help deal with the surge in illegal immigration. At the time, DeSantis stressed that they should "provide resources in support of local governments responding to the alarming influx of migrants landing in the Florida Keys, and providing additional support toward efforts to prevent further migrant landings on Florida’s shores."
