Death penalty for child rape enacted in Florida

In signing the law, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "These are truly the worst of the worst. The criminals who commit these crimes are often serial offenders."

Maria DeLiberato, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said: "There is no question that crimes against the sexual integrity of children are among the most horrific crimes imaginable."

Former US President Donald Trump said on Friday that if elected to the White House next year, he would demand the death penalty for "anyone caught trafficking children across our border".

In a campaign video, Trump said that under his leadership, the U.S. has done "more than any administration in history to combat human trafficking and to end modern-day slavery."

"When I return to the White House, I will immediately end the 'nightmare' at the border that human traffickers use to exploit vulnerable women and children," Trump said in the video, also promising to wage war on the cartels.

The former president, who is seeking another term in the 2024 race, said he would end child trafficking by "returning all trafficked children to their families back home without delay," referring to Executive Order 42, which he introduced while in office and which allows officials to deny migrants admission on the grounds of preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

"I will call on Congress to ensure that anyone caught trafficking children across our border is immediately sentenced to death," Trump added..