Stone Cold Dead: A Reflection on Ron DeSantis’ New Ad
I was horrified to watch the Ron Desantis’ advertisement during the Patriots - Eagles game last Sunday afternoon. Using language from the first Republican debate, DeSantis took an extremely hard line against refugees trying to flee north across the Border from Mexico. DeSantis ginned up fear about cartels and suggested that anyone caught cutting through the border wall should be shot, “Stone Cold Dead.” The ad is intended to demonstrate his toughness at protecting the border and that he is a credible alternative to Donald Trump. However, the ad also raises important concerns about the legality and morality of DeSantis’ proposed ideas.
Ron DeSantis’ policy would clearly violate the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution. By authorizing border control agents to shoot on sight, it would skip the process of indictment and the right to a public and speedy trial with competent counsel. The proposal is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment. The fourteenth amendment reaffirms the right to life asserted in the Declaration of Independence and applies it to each of the states as well. Each of those amendments are defined in such a way as to apply to everyone, not just U.S. citizens.
The proposed policy also violates many international agreements and treaties that have been signed since World War…
