Norman ‘Absolutely’ Backs Military Action Against Mexican Border Cartels

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) during an interview with The Epoch Times' "American Thought Leaders" program at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 27, 2021. The Epoch Times

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said that he would “absolutely” support a military-type action against the Mexican cartels.

The South Carolina lawmaker made his comments to reporters ahead of President Joe Biden’s Feb. 7 State of the Union address.

The question put to Norman was whether he would support military action if it “became necessary.”

Norman responded in the affirmative and went so far as to say, “It’s at that point.”

Fentanyl Deaths

“If you look at the metrics of where the guard cartels are they are all over this country, they’re coming in unfettered. It is outrageous what this man is doing,” Norman said of Biden’s border policies.

“The military has got to get involved because the military is probably the only way that we can get a handle on it.”

The lawmaker pivoted to one of the major concerns among Republicans about lax border policies, saying that there have been at least 100,000 deaths due to fentanyl in the United States.

“That’s low I think. I live in South Carolina in a rural district. They found enough fentanyl in a small town 15 miles from our home that would kill 50,000 people. How much is enough?”

During his address, the president spoke to the issue of illegal drugs entering the United States through the southern border, saying that there is a “record number of personnel working to secure the border arresting 8,000 human smugglers and seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months.”

The president went on to say that the border problem could be fixed by Congress. However, the president has been insistent that any border policy needs to include an allowance for illegal immigrants who arrived as children.

Citizenship for Dreamers

“America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts. If you won’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border,” Biden said during his speech.

“And a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.”

Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ronald Vitiello, who was a guest at the State of the Union, told reporters that the United States is in the midst of the “worst surge of illegal migration across the Southwest border than we’ve ever seen in the history of that border.

“This administration has made terrible choices as it relates to the policy and the approval,” Vitiello said.

He cited a roughly 100 percent increase in individuals crossing the border illegally since when he left Border Patrol in 2019.

According to the former agent, there was a 45-year low in illegal border crossings during the Trump administration that ended when Biden put an end to the remain-in-Mexico policy.