Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence outlined his platform to put an end to the "man-made crisis" at the U.S. southern border, and it starts by finishing construction of the wall that was started under former President Donald Trump.
"The crisis at our southern border is of unprecedented proportions but it's a man-made crisis. That man's name is [President] Joe Biden," Pence said at a town hall hosted by Newsmax on Tuesday night in Windsor Heights, Iowa.
Biden's stopped construction of the border wall after taking office in 2021.
"Joe Biden threw open the southern border of the United States. He dismantled the policies," Pence said. "He shut down construction of the wall. So I want to promise you first, as president, the first thing I'm going to do is shut the door."
And that starts with the wall.
"In places like Indiana and Iowa, we know good fences make good neighbors," Pence said. "I would just tell you, don't minimize the importance of a wall. Joe Biden shut down construction of that border wall on day one. If I'm president, we're going to finish the wall."
Pence added that he would, in essence, declare war on the Mexican cartels and hunt down Chinese ships that are transporting fentanyl through shipping lanes.
"What I would do is go to the Congress of the United States, get an authorization for the use of force against the cartels," he said. "And then I would sit down with President AMLO [Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador] in Mexico and say, 'Not if, but when are we partnering with your military to hunt down and destroy the cartels?'
"Secondly, I would direct the Coast Guard, beginning immediately, the day I was inaugurated, to begin to interdict Chinese ships in international waters that are suspected to be bringing either raw materials or actual fentanyl into Chinese ports.
"And so using our Coast Guard, using our military force, partnering our special forces with Mexico, and building the wall, and supporting the border patrol, that's how we end this crisis and, frankly, set the conditions for securing our country once again."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.