In a recent press conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had an unexpected piece of advice for American Hispanics: He doesn’t want them supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ bid for the White House. He even accused DeSantis of using the issue of illegal immigration as a political tool.
The Mexican leader seemed to imply that he foresaw the Florida Republican’s run for higher office, as he noted, “As you can see, I wasn’t wrong that all his politicking over migrants was because he wanted to be the Republican Party’s candidate.”
While the specific situation López Obrador was referring to remains unclear, DeSantis has been proactive in addressing the issue of illegal immigration. For instance, he has partnered with other Republican governors to transport immigrants who are in the country illegally to so-called sanctuary states and cities. Last year, he even transported some migrants to the liberal Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.
López Obrador attempted to influence the Hispanic vote in Florida, advising them against supporting DeSantis. “Hopefully Hispanics in Florida will wake up and not give him one single vote, to not vote for those who persecute migrants, those who don’t respect migrants,” he declared.
Responding swiftly, the DeSantis campaign cheekily tweeted, “Too late.” Alongside this, they posted an article highlighting the governor’s strong support from Hispanic voters in the recent November election.
López Obrador continued his rhetoric, commenting, “We have to be thinking about this regrettable phenomenon of necessary migration, used with political ends in the United States.” He went on to criticize Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, albeit without mentioning his name directly.
The Mexican President said, “The governor of Texas, campaigning, [saying] he will militarize the border and that he will continue building [the] wall, and the governor of Florida, the same because he wants to be the Republican Party candidate and he’s politicking.”
Meanwhile, DeSantis remains committed to the issue of border security. In a conversation with radio host Dana Loesch, he affirmed his plan to complete the border wall initiated by former President Donald Trump if he is elected to the White House.
“If I’m president, we will, because we’ll declare a national emergency on day one, we’ll mobilize the military, we’ll mobilize resources as that emergency declaration would allow us to do, and we will not take no for an answer,” DeSantis pledged.
His commitment reflects a steadfast resolve: “You’ve got to be disciplined about it. You got to be just relentless to make sure it gets done,” he declared, emphasizing the importance of a strong stance on border security, which resonates with many conservatives.
