Ron Johnson doesn't support sending U.S. Special Forces into Mexico to confront drug cartels

WHITEWATER - During Republican presidential debates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted that, as president, he would send U.S. Special Forces into Mexico to confront drug cartels.

But there's at least one Republican U.S. senator who doesn't think that's a good idea.

That would be Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

"The problem is, the drug lords basically control cities (in Mexico)," Johnson said. "Cities are economically dependent on these trades. This is an enormous problem and, unfortunately, with an open border, we're allowing that problem to seep into this country.

"So no, I would not be supportive of using special operations to start a drug war down in Mexico. We've got to seal the border. That's our first step before we start talking about special operations forces."

Along with U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, Johnson was speaking at a news conference after meeting with local law enforcement Friday to discuss the impact of illegal immigration on Whitewater and Walworth County.

Daniel Meyer, Whitewater police chief, said the city is dealing with a "large influx" of migrants from Central America, including Nicaragua, and also from Venezuela.

"The impact on law enforcement is what we discussed," Meyer said of his meeting with the political leaders. "We have many challenges with communication, with housing, transportation, documentation and just overall reduced ability for us to provide proactive law enforcement services."

Meyer said it's important not to vilify any group of individuals.

"My goal of bringing this issue to the forefront is to make sure that the public is aware of it so that we can ensure we have resources to properly serve our entire community," he said.

The Walworth County Sheriff's Office says it documented in a recent investigation a quarter-million dollars was funneled back to a Mexican cartel over a four-month period.

Johnson and Steil lay the blame for illegal crossings into the United States on the Biden Administration. Republicans are seeking to tie border security measures to the administration's proposal to provide further aid to Ukraine.

Steil said, "I think we have an opportunity coming up to force this administration to secure the border with Mexico as we look at the federal funding opportunities in front of us."

To Steil, securing the border means "returning to many of the same policies" enacted under former President Donald Trump, including construction of the border wall and "increasing funding and hiring of law enforcement agents."

Johnson said Republican and Democratic senators are "working on border security language tied to the president's supplemental funding request."

Johnson added he would like to tie funding for Ukraine "contingent on the administration meeting benchmarks" on immigration.

Johnson and Steil expressed confidence that a short-term spending plan will be put together to skirt a government shutdown before the deadline of midnight Nov. 17.

"I think we'll avoid it," Johnson said.

"I'm optimistic we'll be able to keep the government funded," Steil added.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson doesn't support sending U.S. Special Forces into Mexico