Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would be willing to use "whatever force we need" against the Mexican drug cartels if elected president, The Hill reported.
DeSantis, at an Iowa campaign event on Thursday, was asked whether he would consider using drone strikes against the cartels that are sending drugs and migrants into the U.S.
"We will lean in against the drug cartels. We will absolutely reserve the right, if they're invading our country and killing our people, we have the right to defend this country," DeSantis said, The Hill reported.
"We have the right to hold them accountable, and it's not just if they happen to come over our border. If Mexico is not going to help us with that, well then, we're going to have to do what we have to do."
DeSantis said the cartels annually are "killing tens of thousands of Americans" and are like a "foreign terrorist organization," The Hill reported.
The cartels are responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly opioids. More than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses in 2021.
DeSantis said the Mexican government has not done enough to take down the cartels.
"The Mexican government is not doing what they need to do to help with this, but we said from day 1 of our border announcement we'd be willing to lean in against them, and we reserve the right to defend the country," he said, The Hill reported.
Polls show DeSantis second, behind former President Donald Trump, in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
A Premise poll of registered voters conducted Aug. 2-7 shows Trump leading the GOP primary field with 54%, followed by DeSantis with 18%.
This weekend, Republican presidential candidates are visiting the Iowa State Fair. The state's GOP caucuses, which will kick off the 2024 primary season, are scheduled for Jan. 15.
The use of military intervention to stop the cartels has been an issue for many Republicans amid the southern border crisis.
Rolling Stone reported in March that Trump had requested "battle plans" for invading Mexico to track down the cartels should he be reelected.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, are among lawmakers who have signaled support for military action in Mexico.
Mexican officials have pushed back on the idea of U.S. military intervention.