Republican governors and presidential candidates are scrambling to show who’s tougher on illegal immigration, as governors send National Guard troops to the southwest border and 2024 hopefuls tout harsh policies Nearly eight years after former President Trump launched his first campaign by demanding strict immigration policies, ambitious Republicans often seem like they’re trying to outdo one another in cracking down on undocumented migrants.
It’s a reflection of how illegal immigration has become a poignant political issue — and an area in which the executive branch of government typically has significant power.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s running against Trump — and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, another potential White House contender, has made a show of sending National Guard troops to the border in recent weeks.
W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice, who is making a run at Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W. Va.) seat next year, has followed suit.
GOP governors often have sent National Guard personnel from their states to help border officials when illegal crossings by migrants have soared. The troops have limited roles, however, and typically may not interact with migrants.
But border crossings have fallen dramatically in recent weeks under strict asylum rules just imposed by the Biden administration — making the latest deployments appear more political than practical. In Florida, DeSantis has signed a sweeping state law that limits access to social services for undocumented migrants and provides more funds for DeSantis’ efforts to move them elsewhere.
DeSantis has focused on immigration in making some of his most pointed criticisms of Trump.
He told reporters last week that a 2018 Trump-backed bill in Congress was “like a pittance … in exchange for a massive amnesty,” adding, “I thought it was supposed to be America First policy to oppose amnesty, and yet he endorsed and tried to ram through an amnesty.” The bill failed, but would have provided legal status for “Dreamers”—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children—in exchange for border wall funding and other measures.
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