The US embassy in Mexico has ignited a firestorm of controversy by posting an artificial intelligence-generated video on its official social media accounts, which encourages migrants to consider 'self-deportation'. The video, shared this week, depicts a group of men in black caps with tattoos performing a traditional Mexican ballad known as a corrido.
AI-Generated Corrido Prompts Backlash
In the footage, an AI performer sings phrases such as 'The corrido rings out loud in your homeland; return to your roots' and 'You don't need to go far to get ahead. Listen to what you say: Mexican power lies within you.' The social media post accompanying the video includes a link to CBP Home, a website designed to assist migrants in the United States with returning to their home countries.
Widespread Condemnation Across Platforms
The video quickly made headlines in Mexican news outlets and drew sharp criticism on social media. One user on X described it as 'What a pathetic commercial,' while an Instagram user commented, 'Your retirees and digital nomads can spend their money in their home country,' referencing the significant population of US citizens residing in Mexico. Another user labeled it a 'supremacist message of 'get back to your country' with nice words.'
Carlos Eduardo Espina, a Uruguayan-American influencer with over 14.3 million followers on TikTok, posted a reaction clip that garnered 70,000 views, stating, 'How ridiculous. This government is truly full of crazies.'
Historical Context of Controversial Migrant Messaging
This incident is not isolated; last year, then US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem launched a series of video ads urging migrants to self-deport or remain in their home countries. These ads were broadcast on Mexican television, with Noem warning in one spot, 'If you are considering entering America illegally, don't even think about it. You will be caught, you will be removed, and you will never return.'
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned those videos as 'discriminatory' and announced plans to propose legislation to the Mexican Congress to ban such foreign propaganda. In a news conference, she stated, 'We are going to change the law to prohibit foreign governments from carrying out political and ideological propaganda in our country.'
The current AI video has further strained US-Mexico relations, highlighting ongoing tensions over immigration policies and the ethical use of technology in governmental communications.
