MEXICO CITY _ The Mexican government has lodged a complaint with the U.S. State Department over President Donald Trump's recent assertion that some immigrants living in the United States illegally are "animals."
A letter sent to the State Department on Thursday criticized Trump for disrespecting human rights, according to a statement from Mexico's Foreign Ministry.
The letter said that "the assertions of the U.S. president are absolutely unacceptable," according to the statement.
Trump angered many on Wednesday when he said that some of the migrants the U.S. is deporting "aren't people."
"You wouldn't believe how bad these people are," Trump said. "These aren't people, these are animals."
His comments during a White House immigration roundtable came in response to remarks by the sheriff of Fresno County, who complained that state law doesn't allow her to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about immigrants she suspects are members of a gang.
On Thursday, Trump clarified that he was talking about MS-13 gang members when he used the phrase "animals."
"I refer to them as animals," he said. "And guess what _ I always will."
