US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed US diplomats in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to urge host governments to impose stricter immigration controls and to report policies that appear overly supportive of migrants, according to a classified diplomatic cable dated November 21 obtained by The New York Times (NYT).

The cable directs diplomats to highlight crimes allegedly committed by immigrants to support calls for reduced entry and greater enforcement. The document marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s push to export its hardline immigration agenda to allied nations.

Diplomats were advised to regularly engage with host government officials to raise concerns over "violent crimes associated with people of a migration background" and related human rights issues. Such incidents are described in the cable as "widespread disruptors of social cohesion and public safety."

The directive calls for routine reporting to State Department headquarters, including updates on how host governments handle these cases and whether any national policies appear to “unduly favor migrants at the expense of local populations.”

According to the cable, the objective is to build support among foreign governments and stakeholders for policies that restrict migration, "defend national sovereignty," and "ensure the safety of local communities."

Aligning with Trump’s broader agenda

The Trump administration frequently invokes the concept of "sovereignty" in pushing its immigration agenda, demanding tougher border controls from other countries even as it pressures them to align with US directives.

US President Donald Trump and top officials like Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance have described mass migration as a threat to the US and Europe. In a February speech, Vance stated, "We cannot rebuild Western civilization, we cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe, by letting millions and millions of unvetted illegal migrants come into our country."

At the United Nations in September, Trump decried what he termed a "globalist migration agenda," signaling his administration’s intent to push allied governments toward more restrictive immigration policies. Rubio, whose parents immigrated from Cuba, has significantly shifted his position on immigration over his 14-year political career. Now, alongside Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, he is helping enforce the Trump administration’s increasingly hardline stance.

This includes implementing a drastic reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the US. As previously reported by the NYT, many of the current 7,500 refugee slots are reserved for Afrikaner South Africans, despite the lack of broad evidence of persecution against them. In an official social media statement last week, the State Department declared, “Mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization and undermines the stability of key American allies.”

Coordinated messaging and policy tools

The cable contains 12 standardized talking points for use with host governments, and three additional ones tailored for European countries. These include warnings about the alleged negative societal impact of mass migration and concerns over religious freedom.

One point reads: “We encourage your government to ensure that policies protect your citizens from the negative social impacts of mass migration, including displacement, sexual assault, and the breakdown of law and order.”

Another states: “We urge vigilance in safeguarding religious liberty, particularly against the prevalence of radical Islam among certain migrant populations, which has caused an increase in antisemitic and anti-Christian incidents throughout migrant-heavy areas.” However, the cable does not provide supporting evidence for these claims.

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A recent Stanford University study contradicts the narrative, finding that immigrants in the United States are 30% less likely to be incarcerated than US-born white citizens. In addition to the immigration cable, the State Department issued another memo instructing diplomats to document instances of foreign government support for illegal or mass migration in the upcoming annual country human rights reports.

According to a senior department official, as cited by the NYT, the initial cable was sent to embassies in countries seen as sharing a "Western civilization" heritage with the US. Similar cables addressing migration in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are expected to follow. The Trump administration has also expressed concern about what it describes as censorship of far-right speech in Europe, and diplomats have been told to report such cases in their human rights documentation.