Mexico’s government condemned a draconian new state immigration legislation in Florida pushed by Republican Governor and U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Saturday, vowing to assist in the protection of undocumented Mexicans in that state.

DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, and his new Florida law, which went into effect on Saturday, is regarded as a harbinger of the sort of extreme immigration enforcement tactics he would want.

Last month, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged U.S. Latino voters to reject DeSantis, accusing the politician of trying to win votes at the expense of migrants.

According to DeSantis’ website, the new law includes allocating funds to move migrants without lawful status out of the state; restricting access to ID cards; and requiring more businesses to use an electronic system to validate a person’s eligibility to work.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said the provisions could prompt discrimination and racial profiling, and give rise to hostile environments, intimidation and hate crimes.

“Criminalization is not the way to resolve the phenomenon of undocumented migration,” the ministry said, describing the new measures as driven by xenophobia and white nationalism.

It added that Mexico respects U.S. legislative processes, yet views the Florida law as working against joint efforts by the U.S. and Mexico to treat migrants with respect.

Mexican consulates in the U.S. will work to inform migrants about their rights and partner with civil society groups to identify potential cases of abuse, the ministry said.