DeSantis vows to use deadly force on suspected drug traffickers: 'Stone cold dead'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vowed Friday to leave suspected drug traffickers “stone-cold dead” at the U.S. southern border if elected president.

“We are going to authorize the use of deadly force against the cartels,” DeSantis said Friday in an interview during The Gathering, an annual event hosted by conservative talk radio host Erick Erickson. 

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, pointed to suspected drug traffickers who cross the border with fentanyl. 

“That’s the last thing they’re going to be able to do because we’re going to leave them stone cold dead at the border. We’re not putting up with it anymore,” DeSantis said. 

“We now have tens of thousands of people that are dying from fentanyl overdoses and that’s all being brought in because the border is not secure and the cartels have more control over our border than we do,” DeSantis continued.

As outlined in his immigration proposal titled “Mission Stop the Invasion No Excuses,” DeSantis repeated his previous promises that he will declare migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency  and finish building a wall at the border. 

“We’ll build a wall, we’ll remain in Mexico, stop the invasion, we’ll do all that,” DeSantis told Erickson. “But when you have cartels operating the way they are, they’re operating as akin to foreign terrorist organizations because they’re killing our people. They’re poisoning our people.”

DeSantis has spoken before on using “deadly force” against migrants suspected of drug trafficking. Last week, the White House hopeful was asked if he would use drone strikes on Mexican soil, to which he said, “We will lean in against the drug cartels. We will absolutely reserve the right. If they’re invading our country and killing our people, we have the right to defend this country.”