Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly taken credit for helping arrange the flights. Credit: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons

San Antonio U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pledge during Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate to send U.S. troops into Mexico as a move “down a dark, dangerous path.”

DeSantis’ claim that he’d invade the United States’ southern neighbor came after Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, a debate co-moderator, asked DeSantis if he would “support sending U.S. special forces over the border into Mexico to take out fentanyl labs” and other cartel operations.  

“Yes! And I will do it on day one,” DeSantis said with an awkward smile.

“The Republicans cheering for war with Mexico are taking the United States down a dark, dangerous path,” Castro, a Democrat, fired off on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Desantis’ explanation of his proposed invasion drew loud applause from the crowd at the Milwaukee primary debate.

“The President of the United States has gotta use all available power as Commander-in-Chief to protect our country and to protect the people,” DeSantis said. “So when they’re coming across, yes, we’re going to use lethal force. So, as President, would I use force? Would I treat ’em as foreign terrorist organizations? You’re darn right I would.”

In a second tweet, Castro excoriated Republicans’ increasingly hostile rhetoric about migrants and Mexico.

“Republicans have gone from Self Deportation to Build A Wall to Invade Mexico in just over a decade,” the congressman wrote.

Although DeSantis was the only candidate who said he supported invading the Unite States’ third-largest trading partner, other candidates also proposed extreme measures when it came to immigration.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he’d support Border Patrol’s use of lethal force on people entering the U.S. without documents, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott promised to finish Trump’s border wall, a $15 billion project analysts said likely has done nothing to slow illegal migration.

Political newcomer and MAGA loyalist Vivek Ramaswamy said he would stop funding Ukraine and instead place troops along the southern border.

Although the Mexican government has yet to respond to DeSantis’ call for an invasion, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in May urged Latino voters to reject DeSantis’ presidential bid. He warned that the governor was trying to win votes at the expense of migrants.

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This article appears in Aug 23 – Sep 5, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...