Former Mexican president Vicente Fox emphasized the need for a return to strong, compassionate leadership in the U.S. following Monday’s annual World Leaders Forum.

“I think we need to promote democracy, promote freedom, freedom of speech,” Fox said.

The forum brings some of the highest-profile statesmen from across the globe to North Texas. It focuses on leading during difficult times and investing in emerging leaders.

President Trump has been adamant about building a wall between the border of the U.S. and Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country. However, Fox said the idea to build a wall is “stupid.”

“Why should we go now against migrants when we all are migrants?” Fox said.

Fox comes from migrant families on his father and mother’s sides. He thinks there’s a better way to handle the issue of immigration.

“We don’t need walls, we need bridges,” Fox said. “We need understanding each other, we need to listen and we don’t need to isolate.”

He was joined at the forum by Rigoberta Menchú, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Menchú, a human rights activist, talked about how she stayed positive through hardships, including her mother’s kidnapping, torture and death.

Fox, president of Mexico from 2000-2006, told the audience they were born to do great things in life and challenged them to do things to make others happy.

The audience was filled with students, faculty and members of the TCU community who erupted with applause after each answer was given.