DeSantis' immigration plan calls for restricting asylum, ending birthright citizenship

Struggling to gain traction in the GOP presidential primary against former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis rolled out a hardline immigration plan Monday that would restrict asylum claims, end birthright citizenship and finish Trump's border wall – even as the governor's immigration policies are causing turmoil in Florida.

DeSantis also accused Trump of failing to deliver on his immigration promises as he works to undercut the former president on an issue that is a priority for many GOP primary voters, and one where Trump has dominated the discussion.

"To me what I've seen at the border is just humiliating as a country, that we can't even enforce the territorial integrity of this nation," DeSantis said during the event in Eagle Pass, Texas.

DeSantis often talks about the border and immigration issues, but offered more details Monday during the first in a series of policy rollouts his campaign is planning as it tries to generate some momentum against Trump.

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Many of the people crossing the border claim asylum under laws aimed at protecting people who have been persecuted in their home countries, or face the threat of persecution. DeSantis said the asylum system is being abused.

“We’ll do it through executive action where we will not entertain those claims at the southern border," DeSantis said. "We'll make it very clear that while we support the idea of bona fide asylum, 90 plus percent of these cases are not legitimate and it's being used to be able to shoehorn them into this country against the wall."

DeSantis added that people who are allowed to apply for asylum should have to "wait in Mexico" while their claim is being considered. Trump implemented a "remain in Mexico" policy for asylum seekers, but President Joe Biden repealed it and the decision was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Any effort by DeSantis to unilaterally restrict the asylum likely would face legal challenges, as would his proposal on birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Trump also has proposed ending birthright citizenship.

"This idea that you can come across the border, two days later have a child and somehow that's an American citizen, that was not the original understanding of the 14th Amendment and so we'll take action to force a clarification of that," DeSantis said, criticizing what he described as "birth tourism."

DeSantis also pledged to finish the border wall, which was the centerpiece of Trump's 2016 campaign.

“You gotta finish the job," he said, noting he visited border areas in Arizona where the wall just ends.

Many of DeSantis' proposals mirror Trump's immigration ideas and the governor said he agrees with much of what the former president says on the issue, but added that Trump was saying “the same things… back in 2016” and didn't always deliver.

DeSantis' policies would result in mass deportations, something Trump also promised.

"That never came to fruition," DeSantis said of Trump's deportation promise, adding: "Obviously you did have some wall built, but not nearly enough."

DeSantis seemed eager to project a tough image on immigration, saying he wants to authorize the use of deadly force against individuals who are creating breaches in the border wall, equating it to breaking into a house.

“Of course you use deadly force," he said, adding: “If you drop a couple of these cartel operatives trying to do that you will not have to worry about that anymore.”

DeSantis argued he is even "more aggressive" than Trump in certain areas, such as empowering local police to enforce federal immigration law.

The Trump campaign put out a press release Monday featuring past comments by DeSantis praising the former president's border policies.

"The disaster at our border is a direct result of the Biden Administration ending Trump border policies that curbed illegal immigration, the influx of drugs, and human smuggling," DeSantis tweeted in 2021.

Illegal border crossings surged to record levels earlier this year, but have since dropped considerably. Yet the border remains a potent political issue on the right, and DeSantis has made immigration a centerpiece of his campaign and time in office.

DeSantis pushed a series of aggressive immigration measures as governor, starting with a "sanctuary" cities bill and culminating this year with a bill mandating large employers use the E-verify system to check if employees have legal status.

And despite Florida being far from the border with Mexico, DeSantis has found ways to inject himself into the border debate. He sent Florida National Guard and law enforcement to Texas to help police the border and drew national attention for flying migrants to Sacramento and Martha's Vineyard.

DeSantis' immigration policies have generated significant pushback, with California officials threatening legal action over the migrant flights.

Business owners in Florida also have been speaking out lately about the immigration law passed this year. They have raised concerns about an exodus of migrants that could lead to a labor shortage in industries such as agriculture, tourism and construction.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ron DeSantis tries to undercut Donald Trump's strength on border policy