DeSantis Supports Abbott Decision to 'Defend' Border

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) recently sat down with conservative radio host Steve Deace to share his support of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) decision to “defend” the border and fight the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

“Yeah, this is what I don’t understand. The Supreme Court has said, ‘Oh, the federal government has the purview over enforcing immigration law.’ That would make sense if Texas was trying to flout immigration law. In other words, if Texas was trying to open the border, and the feds didn’t want it open, well then I would totally understand. But what’s happening is federal government is not enforcing the law. So, Texas is having to stand up to defend its sovereignty and defend its people. They have every right to do that, so I would stay the course,” said Gov. DeSantis.

The U.S.-Mexico border has been a major focus for Texas lawmakers such as Abbott. After three migrants drowned in the river near Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, TX, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion to the Supreme Court to grant federal agents access to the property along the border seized by the Abbott administration.

The former 2024 presidential candidate stated that he would give states the power to deport individuals from the country. As it stands now, only the federal government has the power to deport migrants.

“We have people down helping Texas and we have people for a while now off and on since 2021, but I think one of my platforms as a presidential candidate was we would explicitly authorize the states to enforce federal immigration law. Why should a sheriff down there at the border not be able to deport somebody if they catch them coming across the border? It makes more sense, it’s a force multiplier. So they should defend their border, and I think that they have every right to hold their ground,” said DeSantis.

DeSantis recently ended his campaign for president in the 2024 Republican primaries. During his campaign, he focused on immigration and the border, as well as other social issues that often brought on heavy criticism.