As anti-tourism protests turned violent in Mexico City over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took an unexpected — and sharply satirical — tone in its online response.
With rent prices surging and frustration boiling over, local residents clashed with foreign gentrifiers, most notably American expats and digital nomads. But it was DHS’s social media team that stole the spotlight with a perfectly timed jab.
“If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure,” the department posted on X.
If you are in the United States illegally and wish to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home app to facilitate your departure. https://t.co/P2vKuhbp65
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 6, 2025
That post, now viral, comes amid growing unrest in Mexico’s capital, where locals blame a wave of tourism and post-COVID relocations for rapidly rising housing costs and displacement in historic neighborhoods. The protests, which started peacefully, escalated Friday night into property damage and clashes with law enforcement. Over a dozen businesses were damaged as demonstrators marched under banners reading, “Your new home is an invasion,” and “Expat = gentrifier.”
Though Mexican officials have condemned the violence, they’ve also acknowledged the underlying tension: residents feel alienated in their own neighborhoods as prices rise and once-traditional districts are reshaped to cater to foreign visitors and remote workers.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 6, 2025
DHS’s tweet — equal parts trolling and messaging — pointed users to its CBP One app, typically used to manage immigration appointments or voluntarily depart the U.S. But in this case, the agency leveraged the unrest as a tongue-in-cheek reminder that self-deportation is, in fact, a service they offer.
It’s a rare moment of sharp wit from a federal agency, and one that’s gaining traction across social media. Amid serious debates over border security, asylum backlogs, and deportation policy, the DHS digital team used Mexico’s own immigration frustrations to highlight the irony — Americans now facing protests abroad for the very kind of unchecked migration many criticize at home.
