Responding to a voter during a campaign stop this week, Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis endorsed a once fringe idea that is becoming increasingly mainstream in Republican policy circles: that the United States has the right, indeed obligation, to use military force in Mexico to protect the American people from drug cartels.
And yes, that includes the use of U.S. drones, a revolutionary military technology the U.S. military and CIA have deployed repeatedly to target terrorists in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Somalia (among others).
“We will absolutely reserve the right if they’re invading our country and killing our people,” DeSantis told the voter. Prodded by NBC News to clarify, the governor was unequivocal: “We’d be willing to lean in against them, and we reserve the right to defend our country.” His comments came about six weeks after his campaign released an immigration policy blueprint, entitled “Stop the Invasion,” that aims to strengthen the security of the U.S.-Mexico border. One of those bullet points was to send an ultimatum to the Mexican government: if you don’t stop fentanyl precursor chemicals from coming into your ports, the U.S. Navy will do it for you.
Author
