Ron DeSantis: Pro-Migration Border Bill Shows ‘Contempt’ D.C. Elites Have for Americans

The pro-migration border bill unveiled Sunday shows the “contempt” that D.C. elites have for the American people, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Monday, reacting to the legislation.

“We have a huge issue in this country on our southern border. You can’t be a country if you don’t maintain control of your own territory, and yet this has been going on really for many, many years — decades perhaps,” DeSantis began.

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“But it’s never been this bad, and they have now unveiled a piece of legislation in Washington and I think people are starting to point out you know what a farce it is to basically say that you only shut the border down once 5,000 people a day come illegally, which is about 2 million a year,” he said, explaining that it is “basically legalizing illegal immigration.”

“And there’s so many other things that are wrong with it, but I just think, taking a step back, what it shows me is the contempt that these people in D.C. have for American taxpayers,” the former presidential candidate explained.

“I mean, the amount of money they want to send all around the world, the amount of money that they’re saying that they’re going to use for the border but it’s really going to go to facilitate more of a problem. I just think the whole thing is a farce,” he said, explaining that the president “has the authority to secure the country’s border.”

Asylum seekers wait in line to be processed by the Border Patrol at a makeshift camp near the U.S.-Mexico border east of Jacumba, San Diego County, California, January 2, 2024. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

“You don’t need a new piece of legislation to do that. Just do it. And if you did it I think a lot of people would be pleasantly surprised that you did it,” he said, deeming this legislation “another dog and pony show in Washington” that “will not solve the problem.”

“It will just exacerbate the problem even further. And so I don’t think it’s likely it has much of a chance. But you know, you never know with the folks that we’ve got in Washington, DC, now,” he added:

DeSantis’s reaction follows that of many others, including Republican senators who have publicly expressed opposition to the measure. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for instance, said on Monday he opposes the legislation, listing off some of the issues, which include unchecked “humanitarian” aid to Gaza and further magnets for illegal immigrants to come to the country.

“The bill codifies catch-and-release under so-called ‘alternatives to detention’ for any alien who says they *intend* to apply for asylum or another protection,” he said, noting that it also “gives immediate work permits to everyone who says they want asylum, as long as they pass an initial screening by liberal bureaucrats.”

“This will be a huge magnet for more illegal immigration,” DeSantis warned: