California sheriff under fire for joining DeSantis’ ‘border crisis’ coalition

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ coalition of sheriffs to address the “border crisis,” prompting an outcry from immigration advocates who called the group an “anti-immigration task force.”

DeSantis announced his candidacy for president last month on a platform that focuses on targeting trans people, drag shows and pronouns, and locking down the border with Mexico.

The Republican presidential hopeful toured the southern Texas border over the weekend. On Monday, DeSantis announced his immigration platform, which he suggested might include killing drug dealers who cross the border into the United States.

“If somebody were breaking into your house to do something bad you would respond with force. Yet why don’t we do that with the Southern border?” DeSantis said during a press conference in Eagle Pass, Texas. “If the cartels are cutting through the border wall, trying to run product into this country, they’re going to end up stone-cold dead as a result of that decision.”

He added, “If you drop a couple of these cartel operatives trying to do that, you’re not going to have to worry about that anymore.”

Last week, more than 90 law enforcement officials from across the country signed on to a letter released by DeSantis’ gubernatorial office voicing support for his tough stance on border security. That group includes Californians Bianco and Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood.

DeSantis’ letter blames the Biden administration’s immigration policies for an increase in crime and fentanyl smuggled over the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said Mexico and China are the primary sources for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked directly into the U.S., which has seen a spike in related deaths in recent years.

“I’m proud to work with this growing group of law enforcement leaders and bring Florida’s dedicated resources and leadership to bear on this national problem,” DeSantis said in a statement that accompanied the letter.

The Inland Coalition for Immigrants Justice, an advocacy group based in San Bernardino, slammed Bianco for joining the DeSantis’ coalition.

“We are deeply concerned about the implications of this action and the potential harm it poses to Riverside County immigrant communities that comprise more than 20% of the population,” the group said in a news release.

“By aligning himself with such a task force led by the fascist Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, Sheriff Bianco has demonstrated a troubling disregard for the principles of justice, equality, and human rights,” the advocacy group said. “Instead of fostering an inclusive and compassionate environment, he has chosen to contribute to a climate of fear and discrimination, targeting some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Last month, Bianco visited the border in Imperial County. In a caption to an Instagram photo of Bianco on horseback, he thanked the U.S. Border Patrol for their work.

“We need to be extremely grateful for our dedicated Border Patrol officers because our government is failing them,” Bianco said.

Bianco’s and Youngblood’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

DeSantis trails former President Trump in Republican preference polls, but even before the Florida governor jumped into the presidential race he tried to make a name for himself with a series of stunts that critics say may have violated the law.

Last year, the DeSantis administration recruited migrants in San Antonio and flew them to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

Earlier this month, contractors hired by DeSantis’ administration repeated the effort when they convinced migrants in Texas to take chartered flights to Sacramento. DeSantis’ office argued that “sanctuary cities” should have to deal with migrants coming to the southern border.