DeSantis Travels to Border and Unveils Immigration Agenda
FAIR Take | July 2023
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis traveled to Texas last week to see the border firsthand, meeting with community and elected leaders as well as local residents and parents who lost children to fentanyl overdoses.
DeSantis also spoke to reporters, addressing the crisis at the border, the failure of the current administration to enforce the law, and the response of states like Texas and Florida to stand up and defend their own borders against the invasion of illegal immigrants.
DeSantis, now a presidential candidate, also set forth his immigration agenda for the country. He promised to declare the border crisis a national emergency on day one of his presidency. He also said he would end catch-and-release, end frivolous asylum claims, and finish the border wall.
“When you have this many people – mass migration at this scale represents a huge burden on communities; it represents a burden on taxpayers; it represents a burden on medical, on education, on criminal justice; and it’s not just limited to towns in South Texas. We’re seeing the impact in communities all across the United States of America,” DeSantis said.
The Governor also said part of his plan would include strong interior enforcement, including worksite enforcement. He stated, “We are going to empower states and localities to enforce federal immigration law.” He iterated his support for states and locals who uphold the law and said his plan would penalize sanctuary cities that harbor illegal immigrants.
Earlier this year, the Florida legislature passed, and DeSantis signed into law, a comprehensive immigration enforcement bill. It would enhance criminal penalties against human smugglers, mandates the use of E-Verify for certain employers, and invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses given to illegal aliens, among other things.
DeSantis focused on the rule of law in his speech, recognizing the burden on American taxpayers. He said, “It’s profoundly unfair to American citizens who are having to bear the brunt of this illegal migration. It’s also unfair to legal immigrants who’ve actually navigated the process like they’re supposed to.”