DeSantis Details Hard-Right Immigration Proposals

Ron DeSantis, a Florida politician, made a stop on his campaign in Eagle Pass.

I am the Houston bureau chief of The New York Times. I'm in Eagle Pass, Texas on the border. We're all here to hear Ron DeSantis speak to voters, and to learn about some of the policy proposals he would make for the border if he was elected president. "You know, you're a member of the military. We live near the border and I have three children in the military. I'm looking for ways to stop this illegal immigration. When you can't control your border, it's a problem for the United States. This affects communities across the country. Ron DeSantis visited a border ranch after the meeting with voters. I asked him for clarification on a point that was particularly striking in his remarks. He said he would update the rules of engagement in order to allow force to be used in certain situations. I asked him whether he meant to say that this would involve shooting at migrants. We will therefore use every tool at our disposal. You must be able, with appropriate force, to respond to someone who is breaking down the border wall. This happens in other places, and they show hostile intent. You use deadly force, of course. Would you allow someone to break into your home and harm you? I'm sure that in Texas, they would not do this. Another thing that was brought up today is the link between immigration and the fentanyl epidemic in the United States. Ron DeSantis tried to make this connection very clear. Every state in the country has seen a rise in deaths from fentanyl. They are mothers who are losing their children as a result what is being brought over the border. He then mentioned several times how this drug crisis in the United States is directly related to the policies of open borders of the Biden Administration. Ron DeSantis described a hard-line, aggressive immigration policy.