Ron DeSantis Hasn’t Ruled Out Using Missiles Against Mexico: ‘It Depends on The Situation’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently said, “We are going to act,” referring to his previous promise to deploy US Special Forces into Mexico to battle drug gangs if he is elected president. In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Tuesday, the Republican presidential contender hardened his position on potential measures he would take to ‘secure’ the border with Mexico. When asked if he would approve of an aircraft strike within the neighboring nation, he started to answer before changing the subject.

De Santis confessed, “We would use all available — the tactics, I think, can be debated. If you have something you want to accomplish, people would brief you on the different ways you’d be able to do it. So, that would be dependent on the situation.” O’Donnell countered his answer, pointing out that moving missiles and soldiers into Mexico is a major shift in strategy when compared to just stationing troops along the southern border. The governor elaborated on the intended victims when asked whether soldiers would be given permission to fire at migrants crossing the border.

While addressing who would be the ‘victims’ of this strategy, he said that a woman carrying a baby was not the target; however, he further added , “There’s not going to be authorization to just shoot somebody like that. But when somebody’s got a backpack on and they’re breaking through the wall, you know that’s hostile intent, and you have every right to take action under those circumstances.”

During the Republican presidential debate, DeSantis was the first to bring up the subject. He gave a direct response when asked whether he would back deploying Special Forces into Mexico: “Yes, and I will do it on day one.” In a subsequent tweet , he made the same promise; he wrote, “The president of the United States has got to use all available powers as commander in chief to protect our country and to protect the people. So when they’re coming across, yes we’re going to use lethal force, yes we reserve the right to operate.”

A representative for DeSantis, Bryan Griffin, told CNN , “Ron DeSantis will declare a national emergency on day one, mobilize all military resources, declare the cartels to be narco-terrorists, and change the rules of engagement on the border. The full force of the federal government will be utilized to ensure that illegal drug flow is stopped, and he will bring to bear every tool he has to this end.”

Back in August, De Santis suggested the use of force to destroy the Mexican drug gangs if elected president. After being questioned at a campaign rally in Iowa about whether drone attacks on Mexican land were an option, he made these comments: “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.

We have the right to hold them accountable, and it’s not just if they happen to come over our border. If Mexico is not going to help us with that, well then we’re going to have to do what we have to do.” DeSantis equated the cartels to a ‘foreign terrorist organization’ that kills ‘tens of thousands of Americans’ per year.