Mexico City (AFP) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her government had asked television stations to pull an advertisement by US President Donald Trump’s administration warning against undocumented migration because it could incite violence.
She said Mexico’s government had written to private TV channels urging them to stop showing the message, which has been aired during prime-time programs such as major league football. Reading the letter at her morning news conference, Sheinbaum said that the ad “contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity” and could encourage “violence against people on the move.”
The ad is part of a multimillion-dollar international campaign announced by Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in February in radio, broadcast, and digital formats in multiple countries. “If you are considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it,” Noem warns in the message, which in Mexico has Spanish subtitles. If a migrant commits a crime, “we will hunt you down” because “criminals are not welcome,” she adds.
Trump has ramped up pressure on Mexico to tackle undocumented migration and drug trafficking, leading Sheinbaum to deploy extra troops along the border as part of efforts to avoid his sweeping tariffs. Sheinbaum said that she would submit a proposal to Congress to ban foreign governments from paying for advertising on Mexican television networks.
© 2024 AFP
