AUSTIN (Nexstar) – When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted his first presidential rally on the Rio Grande River on Monday, he promised to follow through on an immigration policy that the state’s top Republicans have sought all legislative session .
“States should be able to send people back,” the second-most popular candidate for the Republican nomination told supporters. “As president, we will fully deputize all state and local governments to be able to enforce immigration law. You will be able to have that authority.”
In the audience was state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, who brought major legislation that would have affirmed Texas’ powers to police the federal border. Seve House Bill 20 would have established the Border Protection Unit, replacing state police to use force against unauthorized immigrants independently of the federal government. It failed at the end of the legislative session amid concerns that it would amount to an unconstitutional insubordination of federal power.
But the prominence of the Texas border in national Republican politics has fueled calls to significantly change federal immigration laws. Former President Trump’s 10 challengers are vying to own this issue.
“It’s no surprise that it’s coming at a time when immigration is likely to be a big issue in getting voters to the polls in presidential elections. So coming to Eagle Pass and coming to Texas makes a lot of sense.” said director of UT El Paso’s Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies, Dr. Richard Pineda. “He could have easily gone to Arizona or California, but he may not have found the same politics.”
Pineda argues that Gov. Abbott’s high-profile actions to patrol the Texas border make it the most desirable stop for GOP hopefuls, both to capitalize on the issue and to intimidate Gov. Abbott out of the race.
“I’ve said for a long time that I think Governor Abbott is still considering a run for the White House. And I think having DeSantis come to Texas [is] a strategic decision,” he said. “This looks good visually to use in other parts of the country to say, ‘Look at me, I’m on the border. I know what’s going on. I’m the best choice to handle this.’ “.
DeSantis isn’t the only one catering to border states, of course. His calls for increased state authority echo promises Trump made just the night before.
“We will use all state, local, federal and military resources necessary to carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” the former president told supporters in Oakland on Monday night.
That kind of increasingly powerful rhetoric is expected to increase as the 11 candidates aim for the attention of the country’s more conservative factions. But the message is not always heeded on the spot. As Pineda explains, even though DeSantis was in Eagle Pass on Monday, he was talking to Iowa and New Hampshire. And that message won’t always resonate with people in these border communities.
“I think the hardest part for me, as someone at the border, is the kind of dehumanizing nature of people who are trying to cross into the United States. In my opinion, it’s really dangerous.”
