A multimillion-dollar ad campaign airing in Mexico and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, designed to discourage undocumented immigration to the U.S., has been met with anger by Mexican government officials and locals.
The ads, featuring Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, call for the self-deportation of undocumented immigrants within the U.S. and serve as a warning for those with plans of trying to enter the U.S. illegally.
According to The Washington Post, Mexico’s government is calling for the ads to be pulled from the airways, and President Claudia Sheinbaum is urging the country’s Congress to fast-track a law that would outlaw the airing of such ads on major TV and radio channels.
The new law would also ban other forms of “propaganda” from being distributed in the country by other foreign governments.
Speaking to reporters, Sheinbaum said, “Mexico stands for diversity, inclusion, and rights. Our sovereignty must be respected.”
U.S. taxpayers are funding the ad campaign, which is costing up to $200 million with a flight run of over two years. The ads, which have also appeared in the U.S., have aired in other Central American countries, including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
DHS plans to air these ads across broadcast and digital channels, including Telemundo and Univision, and in multiple languages like Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Russian, and Portuguese.
