Ron DeSantis Promises 'Stone Cold' Death for Drug Smugglers

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis doubled down on his illegal immigration promises during a Friday appearance in Atlanta, Georgia.

Illegal immigration has remained a top issue for DeSantis throughout his time as Florida governor. Earlier this year, DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1718 into law. It went into effect in July and hardened Florida's immigration laws by limiting social services and employment access for undocumented immigrants. DeSantis remains adamant about the issue during his presidential campaign as well, and on Friday, he promised death for illegal immigrants bringing fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We are going to authorize the use of deadly force against the cartels," DeSantis said during an appearance at The Gathering, an event with one-on-one interviews and panel discussions among conservative leaders hosted by talk radio host Erick Erickson.

DeSantis went on to specify that deadly force would be reserved for illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border while carrying fentanyl.

"If they're doing that, that's the last thing they're going to be able to do because we are going to leave them stone-cold dead at the border," DeSantis said. "We're not putting up with it anymore."

His comments were met with cheers and applause. Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' presidential campaign through an online contact form for comment.

Synthetic drugs like fentanyl are a massive problem in the United States. Synthetic drug overdoses kill 325,000 Americans a year, and nearly all of those deaths are from fentanyl. In 2022, more than 18,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a report by Reuters.

However, critics have argued that some measures used to combat illegal immigration are too cruel. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas and Governor Greg Abbott citing humanitarian concerns after Abbott pursued construction of a floating barrier equipped with saws. The barrier stretches 1,000 feet on the Rio Grande River to deter illegal immigrants from swimming across the river and into Texas. Abbott has vowed to fight the lawsuit, pledging to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

It is not the first time DeSantis has threatened death for cartel members. While speaking at a press conference at the Texas border town of Eagle Pass in June, he pledged to use deadly force that would leave criminals "stone cold dead" if they attempted to cross the border.

The border remains a strong topic for GOP politicians, with governors like Abbott and DeSantis criticizing President Joe Biden's approach to illegal immigration.

However, data shows that law enforcement apprehensions of illegal border crossings have fallen by 42 percent since May. Newsweek reported that in June, law enforcement officers apprehended 99,545 people on suspicion of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. It is the first time the number was below 100,000 since February 2021.

The Gathering appearance was DeSantis' latest event as he traverses the country to reignite his campaign, which has struggled in recent weeks. DeSantis has battled dwindling support in recent polls, with one GOP strategist admitting that the Florida governor is no longer mentioned in conservative focus groups.

In one poll, DeSantis dropped to third place behind Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Former president Donald Trump remains the GOP frontrunner in the polls.