Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente on Thursday rejected the criminalization of migrants in a speech before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. His remarks come as the Trump administration has created a hostile environment for migrants in neighboring Mexico’s U.S. through mass deportation policies marked by racial bias and violations of due process.

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“We particularly reject the criminalization of people who, for one reason or another, have been forced to leave their homes and find themselves needing to migrate—whether in search of refuge or to escape conditions of injustice or poverty,” the Mexican official stated.

De la Fuente emphasized the historic moment Mexico is experiencing under its first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, “rooted in a philosophy we call Mexican humanism,” which seeks to consolidate a society based on democracy, freedom, equality, and shared prosperity for the common good.

He referred to a vision of justice and full recognition of human dignity, along with inclusive social development free from discrimination, while stressing that “it is a project that establishes a clear division between political power and economic power, that advances the practice of a moral economy, that seeks coordination and cooperation with external actors, but does not accept any subordination.”

“National sovereignty is non-negotiable,” he said, stressing that “respect for international law is the safeguard of peace.”

The diplomat also underscored that the UN must return to its founding objectives: the maintenance of peace, international security, sustainable development, and the defense of human rights.

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