DeSantis claims agents can tell traffickers from migrants in call for deadly force

Asked how authorities would distinguish cartel members from migrants, governor likens Mexico border strategy to Iraq war

The rightwing Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has sparked controversy by outlining a hardline border policy of deadly force despite acknowledging that drug traffickers could be difficult to distinguish from migrants crossing into the US.

DeSantis, whose ailing campaign has failed to cut into the lead of the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, said that under his direction as president, US law enforcement on the lookout for drugs would not mistakenly use lethal force on migrants because US agents would have rules of engagement" similar to police or US forces in war zones like Iraq.