Mexico is calling on broadcasters to ban a series of Department of Homeland Security ads that feature Secretary Kristi Noem dissuading migrants from illegally crossing the border into the United States.
The ads, which aired during a Mexican soccer game, showed men being put in handcuffs and placed in police cars and migrants crossing the dangerous Rio Grande and scaling the border wall.
“If you are considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it,” Noem said in the ad. “If you come to our country and you break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome.”
Following the ad’s airing, a Mexican government agency released a statement urging broadcasters to stop showing the ad, KTLA 5 reported.
“We have found in our analysis that the TV spot has a discriminatory message that places human dignity in jeopardy and could encourage rejection and violence against migrants,” agency officials wrote in a letter. “We invite you to remove the spot so we can continue to construct a society free of discrimination, as our constitution mandates.”
