Mexico President Takes Shot at Ron DeSantis Amid 2024 Presidential Bid

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has now officially announced his run for 2024, but it looks like Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is not impressed.

With his recent controversial immigration law, as well as his numerous stunts of busing migrants, largely seen as stunts to curry favor for himself to white conservative voters, DeSantis has faced a boycott from Latino truck drivers, as well as a travel advisory for Latinos from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Now, it seems that the president of Mexico is also not happy with him. During his usual news conference, According to USA Today, AMLO took a shot at the controversial governor of Florida and said, "All of his playing politics with migrants was because he wanted to be the Republican party candidate." The Mexican president then urged the Hispanic people of Florida to "wake up and don't give him a single vote."

DeSantis targeted not just undocumented immigrants, but also members of the LGBTQ community with his "Don't Say Gay" law, as well as African Americans with his laws banning the discussion of race in schools. These were all; part of the leadup to his announcement of his 2024 run alongside Twitter CEO Elon Musk in a glitch-filled announcement on the social media platform.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Laments Republicans' Politicking

The Hill asked a question to AMLO during his morning briefing regarding his shot at DeSantis. To this, the Mexican President stated, "We have to be thinking about this regrettable phenomenon of necessary migration, used with political ends in the United States."

He lamented the repeated use of politics by Republicans that has severely affected border security and immigration in the United States as he gave what Texas governor Greg Abbott is doing.

"The governor of Texas, campaigning, [saying] he will militarize the border and that he will continue building [the] wall; and the governor of Florida, the same, because he wants to be the Republican Party candidate and he's politicking," the president of Mexico said during the news conference.

Florida is a state with one of the biggest Latino populations in the country. However, the Latino population there has been shifting to the right in recent years despite Republican efforts to curtail immigration and impose laws against Hispanics.

Ron DeSantis' Anti-DEI Laws Also Affecting Latino Students and Faculty in Florida

Before his 2024 run announcement, DeSantis signed yet another controversial law. It banned public colleges and universities from using state or federal funds for programs that "advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion." However, this does not just affect African American and LGBTQ students, but also Latinos.

Eduardo Padron, president emeritus of Miami Dade College, stated that this is a scary time for education in Florida. He added that "All the progress we have made to be more inclusive in Florida is going away."

According to NBC News, Florida's public colleges and universities are considered the top institutions enrolling and graduating Latino students, as well as being one of the country's leading education think tanks focused on Latino college completion. However, DeSantis' Anti-DEI law has made many professors all over the state panic as it will not only ban gender studies but also affect designated Hispanic-serving institutions.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: How Florida's new immigration bill could create a labour crisis | About That - CBC News