This Monday, Ron DeSantis, current presidential candidate, will present a new policy strategy for the management of the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a statement from his campaign last Friday. This plan, the first in a series of policy unveilings from the DeSantis team, marks a shift from discussing his tenure as Florida’s governor to outlining his prospective presidential policies. This border proposal is likely to be heavily scrutinized given its relevance to the Republican voter base.
This planned announcement comes amidst a significant rise in migrant arrivals at the Mexico-U.S. border, following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inauguration of President Biden. Recent polls suggest that Republicans view this as a critical national challenge.
While the DeSantis team was reticent about the specifics of the policy, campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo made it clear that the governor’s intention is to fortify border security. Romeo accused President Biden’s “open border policies” of compromising U.S. sovereignty and asserted that DeSantis is committed to restoring it, stating: “He will stop the invasion and secure the border once and for all, and there will be no excuses.”
On Thursday, DeSantis announced a partnership with dozens of sheriffs nationwide in response to the perceived crisis at the southern border. The governor has made waves in the past, for instance by rerouting migrants from Texas to vacation spot Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts, through a state-funded program – a move he often cites on his campaign trail.
More recently, DeSantis’s administration has overseen the transfer of migrants to Sacramento, California’s capital city. This has drawn criticism from Democratic figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who have labelled these actions as inhumane and threatened to take legal action against Florida.
