US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that there is “no human right to illegal immigration” and argued that countries have a right to protect their sovereignty, using his address to defend his administration’s immigration policies and criticize what he described as the promotion of mass migration.
“There is no human right to illegal immigration, but there is a right to remain a sovereign nation. We want to remain a sovereign nation, and so should you,” Trump said during his address in New York.
Trump also criticized the United Nations and UNESCO while linking migration to the preservation of national cultures and heritage.
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“It is deeply ironic that the United Nations has an entire institution, the UNESCO group of people and countries, devoted to protecting cultural heritage, yet with their ceaseless promotion of mass migration, these globalists are actively destroying the greatest cultures and most extraordinary heritage in all of history,” he said.
The US Department of State subsequently highlighted Trump’s sovereignty and immigration remarks in a post on X.
Trump attacks mass migration, defends national sovereignty
{{/usCountry}}The US Department of State subsequently highlighted Trump’s sovereignty and immigration remarks in a post on X.
Trump attacks mass migration, defends national sovereignty
{{/usCountry}}Trump’s comments reflect a central theme of his administration’s approach to immigration: that individual countries should retain control over who enters their territory and under what conditions.
His remarks at the UN came as his administration has pursued tighter immigration enforcement and restrictions on illegal entry into the United States.
Trump framed the issue primarily as one of national sovereignty, arguing that governments have the authority to determine their own immigration policies rather than being bound by international pressure.
His reference to UNESCO also broadened the argument beyond border enforcement, as he connected migration with national identity and cultural heritage.
Trump rejects global AI controls
Trump also used the UN speech to reject international efforts to establish what he described as a global framework for controlling artificial intelligence.
“The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control” artificial intelligence, Trump said.
He proposed referring to artificial intelligence as “Superintelligence”, arguing that the term “artificial” makes the technology sound less capable than it is.
Trump’s comments placed immigration and AI within the same broader argument: that the US should retain control over its domestic policies and technological development rather than surrendering authority to international institutions.