Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL.) criticized President Joe Biden's Senate border "deal" that should have happened the day he stepped into office.
On Saturday, DeSantis posted a video to social media to slam the president's idea of finally trying to fix the southern border, calling it a "farce." The governor argued it was way past time to secure the border, saying it had been broken for far too long.
Biden claimed he is ready to negotiate one of the "toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we've ever had in our country." He claimed he would "shut down the border" if Congress passes a new bipartisan immigration deal. The president claimed he has no authority to close the border, but the legislation would allow him to once it becomes overwhelmed.
However, DeSantis called Biden out on his excuse of why the border has been wreaking havoc on the country for nearly four years.
"Joe Biden already has the authority to shut the border down," DeSantis said. "He could declare a national emergency. He could stop the invasion cold if he wanted to. He does not want to."
The former GOP presidential candidate argued that the so-called deal falsely gives Biden the tools to close the border. However, in reality, it will green-light at least 5.000 illegal migrants to enter the U.S. every single day.
"That's 1.8 million plus over the course of a year, which they're codifying into laws, saying that's an appropriate number of illegal entries," he continued, adding that an appropriate number of illegal aliens coming into the country is "zero."
He also criticized Biden and states who have vowed to give illegal migrants benefits such as free health care, housing, and work permits. DeSantis railed against handing out incentives to immigrants, arguing they will never want to leave if the federal government pays for them to stay illegally in the U.S.
"So Biden has the authority. He doesn't have the will. He doesn't have the political philosophy to want to actually solve the problem," DeSantis said.
Stopping the invasion at our border is a matter of will. It doesn’t require a so-called deal that codifies into law illegal entries in excess of 1.8 million per year and provides incentives for future illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/ClQToc7nVi
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 27, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) promised to stop a border deal in its tracks, saying that such legislation would be "dead upon arrival."
"I wanted to provide a brief update regarding the supplemental and the border since the Senate appears unable to reach any agreement. If rumors about the contents of the draft proposal are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway," Johnson wrote in a statement. "I am emphasizing again today that House Republicans will vigorously oppose any new policy proposal from the White House or Senate that would further incentivize illegal aliens to break our laws."
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