Mexico's government has instructed its broadcasters to ban the Trump administration's ad featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, labeling the campaign against illegal immigration "propaganda."
In February, shortly after she was confirmed in the Senate, Noem announced a multimillion-dollar ad campaign directed at illegal immigrants, warning them they will be found and deported under President Donald Trump.
Released in both domestic and international versions, the $200 million, two-year ad campaign will target both the illegal immigrant already in the U.S. and the one thinking of crossing the border illegally. The commercials have already run internationally in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
"Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border and putting America first. President Trump has a clear message: If you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return. But if you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream," Noem says to open the one-minute spot that will run on radio, broadcast, and digital in multiple languages and territories.
This week, The Washington Post reported that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is gearing up to ban the broadcast of the ads on TV and radio networks.
"Mexico stands for diversity, inclusion, and rights," Sheinbaum told reporters this week. "Our sovereignty must be respected."
She added that the Trump administration's ads are "discriminatory" and said her proposed law will prohibit foreign "propaganda in media that use public airwaves."
While the Biden administration released its own immigration ad campaign in 2022, the "Say No to the Coyote" messaging was decidedly softer and did not feature a Cabinet official. Kate Mills, a former senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official in the Obama administration, told the outlet the new strategy feels like more like a campaign effort.
"It is more political messaging than we've seen in the past, to have a secretary there, and giving so much credit to the president," Mills said.
Martha Barcena, a former Mexican ambassador to Washington, said the Noem ads "appeared to undercut this narrative about sovereignty" and worked against the shared sense of cooperation the two nations have worked toward.
"President Sheinbaum has acceded to almost everything Trump has asked of her. At the same time, she's maintained a narrative of [Mexico's] sovereignty, of respect, that they [the Trump team] treat us well," Barcena said.