Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina told Newsmax that the United States needs to start treating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations and freeze their assets.
Joining "The Record with Greta Van Susteren," the potential 2024 Republican presidential primary candidate highlighted his recent Washington Examiner opinion editorial that called for stricter border control.
"We do not need to send U.S. troops to the country. But what we do need to do, however, is to start by freezing their assets," Scott said about Mexican cartels. "We can sanction their assets and freeze them. Cutting off the money supply to the cartels is the first very important step."
To address the problem, Scott is the lead sponsor of the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which taps into the federal government's toolbox to sanction cartels, freeze their assets, and curb their ability to operate in the country.
Scott has also proposed the Securing Our Border Act, which redirects $15 billion designated to hire Internal Revenue Service agents toward various border security projects.
"Frankly, I think this administration is complicit with a humanitarian crisis that's happening on the other side of our border," the senator explained. However, "We're better than that. We need our president of the United States and the radical left to be better than that.
"We have more immigrants in this country than any other country on earth," he continued. "You just have to come through the front door. We have to have a meritocracy, that we meet the needs of our employers and of our country, not a back door where there is no assimilation."
He later said that May 22 will serve as a special date for an announcement in Charleston, South Carolina, where media reports suggest he will officially declare a 2024 bid.
"Everyone loves coming to Charleston. Come on down!" Scott exclaimed.
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