Mexican president urges Hispanics to oppose DeSantis

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is urging Hispanics in the U.S. to oppose Florida Republican Gov. Ron Desantis's bid for the presidency, contending that he would treat migrants as a political prop.

The Florida governor announced his candidacy this week in a tumultuous Twitter Space with platform owner Elon Musk that was marred by technical difficulties. Despite the rocky start, polling data has consistently shown him as the closest Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump.

López Obrador on Thursday pointed to DeSantis's past efforts to combat illegal immigration into the Sunshine State, saying "[a]ll of his playing politics with migrants was because he wanted to be the Republican party candidate. I hope the Hispanics of Florida wake up and don’t give him a single vote," ADN America reported.

DeSantis attracted considerable media attention last year for his sending of migrants to upper-crust left-wing enclave Martha's Vineyard. The Florida governor in so doing appeared to take a nod from Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been busing migrants to sanctuary cities to highlight the Biden administration's lax approach to border enforcement.

Earlier this month, he signed into law a sweeping immigration bill that imposed harsh penalties on illegal migrants in the data and allocated funding for a relocation program. In January, he deployed the state National Guard to the Florida Keys to aid in combating maritime illegal migration.

The Mexican president, by contrast, has typically enjoyed cordial relations with former President Donald Trump, for whom cracking down on illegal migration was signature policy staple. Following Trump's indictment in April, López Obrador went so far as to publicly condemn the proceeding saying "[s]upposedly legal issues should not be used for electoral, political purposes. That’s why I don’t agree with what they are doing to ex-President Trump."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.