It started about a week ago with a single Facebook post suggesting that United States residents living in Mexico could be at risk of deportation in retaliation for what the Trump administration has pledged to do to Mexicans living illegally in the U.S.
It then turned into an increasing number of Facebook posts from people writing in expat groups asking if they thought U.S. residents living in Mexico could be at risk of being deported. Being social media, most comments made in response to the questions served only to further confuse and scare people. Facts were not shared, but rather opinions, rumors, and mostly hateful comments.
Over this past weekend, the steady flow of Facebook posts and comments turned into a flood, with both Mexican and expat friends beginning to ask me if I had seen the rumors, if I thought any of it was true and if I was concerned that I could be deported from Mexico.
The rumors and comments were then further enflamed by a variety of posts sharing supposed quotes of President Sheinbaum saying things like “an eye for an eye…we will deport an American for every Mexican deported” or a fake headline of “Sheinbaum announces plan to begin deporting American immigrants back to the U.S.” that went viral. Today I also saw an AI-generated picture of Sheinbaum wearing a red baseball cap that reads “Make America Mexicana Again.”
To give you two more recent examples, one friend sent me a message suggesting he is concerned that violence could break out against expats by Mexicans angry over the U.S. deportations. Another friend suggested to me that the Mexican cartels might retaliate against expats for any actions taken by the US government. These opinions, when shared out of context or on social media, can easily be misinterpreted, take on a life of their own and result in a lot of misplaced fear and anxiety.
Oftentimes, opinions shared on social media end up being interpreted as facts. That is in part what is causing so many people to have stress and anxiety and so many others to completely tune out any news. It is a time for each of us to be calm, increase our fact checks and be cognizant of the potential impact of misinformation.
Fact check: Does Mexico’s president really plan to deport US citizens?
Social media is great for many things, but I personally believe that it can be extremely confusing/disturbing/unhelpful when it comes to trying to make sense of the news. Voices from respected media outlets can get drowned out by people simply trying to stir the pot and make a name for themselves by creating chaos and confusion with their opinions. Social media might feel like the best place to get the latest breaking news headlines, but it is also a source of what is likely a significant amount of opinions and incorrect or misleading information.
Even respected media outlets are increasingly publishing sensationalist and very misleading headlines. I saw examples over the weekend of “ICE agents raiding a school in Chicago” (turned out to be not true) and “Mexico refuses to accept a U.S. deportation flight” (the article went on to say it was “temporary” and that Mexico in fact “accepted a record 4 deportation flights in one day”). Both news outlets should be ashamed for deliberately publishing clickbait-type articles.
The fake news is already lying about our successful partnership with Mexico helping to make our region safe again. The truth is, four ICE flights arrived in Mexico yesterday. Two military flights were sent to Guatemala because they were filled with Guatemalans. 2000 aliens were… pic.twitter.com/xpOdCd6TMD
— Tammy Bruce (@StateDeptSpox47) January 25, 2025
Tammy Bruce is the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State led by Secretary Marco Rubio.
The news business is not an easy one, and especially these days given the torrent at which news is coming at us. The team at Mexico News Daily is totally committed to getting every story right, each and every day.
We will not publish stories for which we do not yet have the facts, and we will not mislead you with our headlines. We will not get it perfect every time, but it’s important that you know our values.
It’s equally important to remember to keep calm, fact-check, cross-check and not fall into the fear-mongering trap. Artificial intelligence will likely make this even more important going forward as confusing and misleading news and information will only become more prevalent.
Thank you for reading MND and for putting your trust in our team.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
I am a permanent resident living in Puerto Penasco. If Mexico were to start expelling people the economy of tourist cities like Puerto Penasco would grind to a halt. Although so many tourist visit wonderful Mexico, that would dry up in a heartbeat if they had concerns about their safety. For example, when th eCPB closed the Lukeville border crossing for the month of Dec 2024 it took months for the economy here to recover
When Americans come to Mexico they bring money. When Mexicans go to the u.s. illegally they don’t. That’s the difference and that’s why Mexico won’t be deporting Americans. Simple…
There are many Mexicans that brings money to the US as well …. They are not all poor and illegal
True and we are glad to see them.
When Americans come to Mexico they bring illegal firearms. About 500,000 per annum supplied to the cartels which cause approx 30,000 Mexican detahs per annum. The day I hear Trumnp and his fascist pals say they are going to put a stop to that he may earn a small amount of my respect. Meanwhile noone should suffer from the illusion that Americans and their money are the solution to economic problems.
So you think retirees are bringing guns to the cartels? Your TDS is flying high. I hear the commies in the democrat party have shrinks on call for that sort of delusion.
Not saying this isn’t a problem but… when you cross the border from the US into Mexico, there are agents there who can stop you and search your car for guns, etc. I have been stopped and searched many times. The penalties for bringing a gun into Mexico are pretty severe. I have no proof, of course, but I suspect that a great many guns brought into Mexico illegally come here with the active cooperation of Mexican border agents.
I believe it was Obama and his “wingman” AG Eric Holder ( of Fast and Furious FAME ) that expedited the flow of weaponry into Mexico . . . and YOU WERE SILENT
Actually undocumented workers in the US pay billions in tax dollars which they will not benefit from. And Mexicans cross over everyday into the US and spend money. Check your facts. The mayor of Douglas, Arizona just issued a statement saying he is concerned about the potential loss of sales tax income. Stop spreading lies that perpetuate hate.
Thanks to MND for keeping a level tone and doing the work of journalism- checking and reporting facts.
‘people simply trying to stir the pot and make a name for themselves by creating chaos and confusion with their opinions” sounds a lot like Donald Trump! We came to Mexico 2 years ago and obtained our temporary residency and sincerely hope that our relief at NOT being in the US right now isn’t a reason for Mexican citizens to blame us – we didn’t vote for the Orange Guy.
Been here for 6 years. Didn’t vote for the Orange Ass either time. I am so thankful for Mexico and its amazing, welcoming people. And I will continue to fight back and denounce Trump’s American aggression at every opportunity.
Thank you for a well written and very thoughtful article.
Sorry to say that our President seems to think that Mexico can negotiate its way out of the problem with the United States. They are talking 25% tariffs and returning millions of Mexicans to our country and if we stay peaceful and pacific, it is impossible to believe that we can negotiate our way out of this.
As long as Trump doesn’t do anything other than send a few plane loads of Mexicans back here I think we can talk, but if that 25% tariff takes effect, that’s a game breaker. “Abrazos no balazos” didn’t work and negotiating with “The Donald” from a position of weakness won’t either. If we (I think as a Mexican – but I am a Chicago boy with 50 years carrying an FM2) I see no problem with Mexico returning Americans who have over- stayed their papers. And no problem with reciprocal tariffs either. Recession in both countries, but that might bring Trump back to the table to REALLY negotiate.
It’s naive to believe Mexico isn’t looking at ALL options. Deporting ‘undocumented’ US squatters would be low-hanging fruit. And who would be sympathetic given how generous Mexico has been with its regularization program? If you’re still here illegally, that’s your own doing. Adiós.
I have hopes and expectations that my subscription to MND will continue to provide fact checked and balanced journalism. Objective, fact based reporting is a tall order in both countries now and thankyou for addressing and not avoiding this concern. We all knew this daily news/distraction cycle was coming to the USA and the world. The new part to the scenario is that there is a bit of concern from citizens of the USA, imparticularly journalists, for revealing all objective facts, just as journalists in Mexico have suffered immensely for their reporting of actual facts. As long as the citizens of both countries want a peaceful America, there is a powerful chance that we, the people, will succeed by being motivated to push our governments to provide us with the type of life collectively we desire. Not saying it will be easy, but the power is with the people in mass.
Don’t worry. President Sheinbaum is smarter than that. She knows that deporting Americans wholesale could cause drastic economic problems in Baja California, the Oaxaca coast, San Miguel de Allende, and along the Rio Grande. There is no evidence that she is consumed with spite or suffers from dementia and apoplexy like her counterpart in Washington. It’s a false equilvancy.
If someone has overstayed their visa in Mexico, the first stop should be the nearest immigration office. These are professional people, at least here in San Miguel, and will provide good advice. If you are too nervous for that, see a couple of attorneys.
President Sheinbaum has been the epitome of calm since taking office. I do not agree with all her decisions, but she is not in the business of hurting anyone, careless Americans included. Let’s keep our cool and do our best to help.
I believe in fair trade 1 deporee for 1 deportee.
..find it remarkable that in Mexico, cooler (official/government) heads have prevailed compared to the ‘sky is falling’ hysteria you hear coming outta Canada…Ford in Ontario in partifular is just bouncing off the wall.
What the Orange Haired says seems to change by the hour….He doesn’t think things through before going off on a rant. Mexico isn’t buying into the seeming constantly changing, mindless rhetoric.
Canada tomorrow is gonna be the 51 state?… eh… Governor Pierre Poilievre? Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be hearing USA jack-boots a-marching past Rideau Hall anytime soon, as the Feds would have you believe.
We need to start deporting illegal US aliens from Mexico. These people only drive up costs for the natives and don’t pay taxes. Just look at the cost of living in Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende. We don’t need more.
Thanks for the statement of journalistic ethics. We at Lakeside News have held the story until we could verify all the facts, which we have done now. Because of the torrent of misinformation, we are posting a short note stating that here are no Mexican government plans to deport Americans and that Presidenta Sheinbaum has never said what is being claimed in fake videos and news, telling our readers that we will publish full details in this week’s print edition. My column this week urges our readers to engage with local Mexican organizations (even more than they do) to help deportees who arrive in our municipality and gives contacts for Al Otro Lado, an organization that is helping deportees get resettled. As we always do, Lakeside News works hard a fostering good, cooperative relationships between the Expats in Lakeside and the Mexican community that is hosting them. Hasta ahora tan bueno.