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Mexico urges removal of 'discriminatory' US immigration ad

Chiara Bachels with EFE and AFP
April 22, 2025

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the advertisement "contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity" and could encourage "violence against people on the move."

Border fence between Mexico and the US, going uphill along Tijuana
Trump made immigration one of the key topics of his presidential campaign [FILE: February 26, 2025]Image: Carlos A. Moreno/ZUMA/picture alliance

The Mexican government on Monday said that they had written to television stations to ban an advertisement by US President Donald Trump's administration that warns against undocumented migration.

In the commercial with Spanish subtitles, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is shown saying: "If you are considering entering America illegally, don't even think about it."

She also talked about "hunting down" migrants who commit crimes, adding "criminals are not welcome here."

Reading the letter at a news conference, Sheinbaum said that the clip "contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity" and could encourage "violence against people on the move."

Why did the US play an ad on Mexican TV?

The video is part of a multimillion-dollar international campaign aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into the United States.

It comes as the Trump administration has said it is stepping up efforts to tackle undocumented migration and drug trafficking. It has also said it is planning to position US army soldiers along parts of the border with Mexico.

Mexican President Sheinbaum called the clip discriminatory and reacted by announcing reforms.

As part of the planned reforms, she proposed to ban foreign governments from paying for advertising on Mexican TV networks.

Growing US militarization of southern borders alarms critics

03:15

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Edited by: John Silk

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