MEXICO CITY~ On Thursday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a call to Latino voters in the United States, urging them not to support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the upcoming presidential election. López Obrador accused DeSantis, a Republican politician, of attempting to earn votes at the price of migrants.
DeSantis announced on Wednesday that he would seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024 and vowed to build a wall on the Mexico border. This is the latest in a string of tough comments on immigration that DeSantis claims resonate with Latino voters who want strong enforcement. DeSantis also vowed to build a wall on the border between the United States and Canada.
López Obrador disregarded the comments. López Obrador stated during a press conference held by the Mexican government that “all of his playing politics with migrants was because he wanted to be the candidate for the Republican party.” “I hope the Hispanics in Florida will come to their senses and refuse to give him even one vote.” In addition to constructing a wall, he has stated that he intends to investigate policies that are analogous to the controversial one enacted by the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, known as “Remain in Mexico.” This policy required people seeking asylum in the United States to remain in Mexico while their cases were being heard in the United States.
In the past, López Obrador has cautioned Republicans not to target migrants for political advantage. At the beginning of the previous government in the United States, López Obrador criticized Trump for his immigration policy. Lopez Obrador was a member of the opposition at the time. Following López Obrador’s election as president of Mexico in 2018, the new president caved in to demands from Trump to increase border security.
López Obrador’s term in office is scheduled to expire before the next election in the United States, and he is currently attempting to garner support for a successor who is scheduled to be elected in June 2024.
DeSantis, who has advocated for increased border security and blasted so-called “sanctuary cities” where migrants can seek refuge, stated that if elected, he will impose strict controls on illegal immigration and limit refugee eligibility.
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