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| | Key Narrative 1 - [POLITICS & CPAC] The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) fueled far-right-wing narratives among Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America this week, with Milei, Bukele, and Meloni dominating online discussions. Milei’s viral moments overshadowed his crypto fraud allegations, while Bukele’s popularity was used to counter human rights criticisms.
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| | Key Narrative 2 - [IMMIGRATION] The Trump Administration’s mass deportation plans have intensified divisive rhetoric among U.S. Latinos online, with “reaction” videos fueling a back-and-forth between supporters and critics of the current administration’s actions. Spanish-language accounts and influencers are engaging around framing that asserts “the worst enemy of a Latino is another Latino with papers.”
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| | Key Narrative 3 - [RUSSIA & UKRAINE] Three years into the war, Russian-aligned narratives are being mainstreamed by Donald Trump and Administration leadership and being harnessed by U.S. Latino and Spanish-language accounts that support the president’s stances. Spanish-language posts echoing false and misleading claims made by the president that Ukraine is “unwilling to negotiate” and that Russia is “set to win” spread widely on platforms like X and TikTok this week. These narratives, including false claims about U.S. spending and Zelensky’s leadership, align with Kremlin-backed messaging.
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| | WHATSAPP (AND TELEGRAM) WATCH: The case of Freddy Javier Mendez Cañas, a Venezuelan artist allegedly detained at Guantánamo Bay, sparked widespread attention in Spanish-language public WhatsApp and Telegram channels. Venezuelan officials, including Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello, positioned themselves as defenders of those detained, with posts claiming Maduro “rescued” 177 Venezuelans.
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| | KEY NARRATIVE #1 - POLITICS & CPAC |
| | CPAC Fuels Hemispheric Right-Wing Narrative Momentum Among U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans |
| This week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland energized right-wing narratives across Latino digital spaces not only in the U.S., but across Latin America, with leaders like Javier Milei (Argentina), Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), and Giorgia Meloni (Italy) figuring prominently into online conversations in Spanish. Their rising influence continues to shape debates on economic policy, governance, and global alliances.
Milei’s trade agreements with the U.S. gained significant traction, but it was the theatrical display of a chainsaw, his trademark—gifted to Elon Musk as a nod to the deep government cuts associated with DOGE—that made headlines. On X, TikTok, and Instagram, images of Milei alongside his economic team in Buenos Aires, with President Donald Trump, and even with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (fixing something on the politician's phone) went viral. All these pieces of content overshadowed recent allegations that the Argentine president promoted a fraudulent cryptocurrency.
Bukele’s popularity was on full display too. Far-right Latino influencers like Eduardo Menoni leveraged the President of El Salvador’s record-high approval rating (81%) to counter Human Rights Watch's accusation that children have been unlawfully imprisoned in El Salvador. Viral videos showed crowds cheering for Bukele in public appearances, reinforcing his image as a strongman leader unshaken by criticism.
Meloni’s alliance with Trump also gained traction, with Menoni and other right-wing Latino influencers amplifying her as a symbol of resistance against left-wing governance in Europe.
“Giorgia Meloni es una mujer empoderada, la líder más popular en Europa, ha bajado impuestos, aumentado salarios y protegido a Italia del socialismo, defendiendo la cultura y la familia tradicional. ¿Su secreto para triunfar? Ser de derecha patriota. (Giorgia Meloni is an empowered woman, the most popular leader in Europe. She has lowered taxes, increased wages, and protected Italy from socialism, defending culture and traditional family values. Her secret to success? Being a patriotic right-wing leader),” wrote Menoni on X.
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| | While these figures were celebrated, left-wing leaders in the U.S. and the region faced mounting criticism. Colombian President Gustavo Petro was accused of nearly triggering a “geopolitical crisis” with the U.S. “after having a few drinks,” in reference to his mixed signals on authorizing the landing of migrant deportation flights.
Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s attempt to expose Milei’s alleged crypto corruption backfired, with critics questioning her credibility given her own corruption convictions. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva continued to struggle with his declining approval ratings, which, as reported last week, have hit the lowest point of his political career.
Note: This week, the growing political divide was further underscored among U.S. Latinos by a viral video suggesting that recent negative perceptions of Trump’s first month in office are fueled by media-driven disinformation. The clip features interviewees struggling to explain why they disapprove of Trump, fueling claims that mainstream journalism is deliberately misleading the public. Anti-journalist rhetoric is on the rise.
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| KEY NARRATIVE #2 - IMMIGRATION |
| | | Mass Deportations and Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Fuel Back and Forth Between Right-Leaning and Left-Leaning U.S. Latinos |
| As the Trump Administration continues its implementation of deportations across U.S. states, U.S. Latinos online are engaging in polarized discussions around community support for a variety of policies that impact fellow Latinos in the country. This week, DDIA observed a surge in “reaction” videos on Instagram between U.S. Latino accounts and influencers who lean left and those who lean right.
As migrants continue to be scapegoated and falsely painted as criminals and gang members by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk (a narrative that has been evolving online since 2020), some prominent Latino voices amplified assertions that “the worst enemy of a Latino is another Latino with papers.”
This frame, while indicative of frustrations and divisions among Latino communities, also shifts focus away from concrete actions being taken to harm communities and may play into the “divide and conquer” strategy far-right-wing actors are employing to place blame for society’s problems on migrants. |
| KEY NARRATIVE #3 - RUSSIA & UKRAINE |
| | Trump-Amplified Russian Narratives Spread Among U.S. Latinos |
| This week marked three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and in Spanish-language social media, the conversation is shifting, with many users now promoting Trump-amplified narratives that portray Ukraine as unwilling to negotiate peace and that suggest Russia is on track to “win” the war.
“La culpa siempre fue de Ucrania (The blame was always on Ukraine)", escribió el perfil Nova, que tiene 8 millones de seguidores en TikTok. “Al final Rusia va a ganar la guerra (...) Zelensky es un ‘comediante de éxito modesto’ y un ‘dictador’ (“In the end, Russia is going to win the war (…) Zelensky is a ‘comedian of modest success’ and a ‘dictator’”)," added Liu Silvaya, on X, for its 201,000 followers.
For Capitán Bitcoin, for example, an account that has 500,000 followers on X and is now pushing pro-Russia narratives, it is not true that Putin is an “imperialist madman who wants to conquer Europe,” Ukraine is not “fighting for its democracy,” and NATO does not “aim to protect the innocent.” He and many of those who interacted with his post on X portray the above false claims as lies shared worldwide to move the needle in favor of Zelensky.
This week, Trump openly reinforced Kremlin-backed messaging, claiming that the U.S. has spent significantly more on Ukraine than the European Union. This false assertion feeds into the anti-Western narrative usually promoted by Russians, and is reaching Spanish speakers on social media. |
| | Venezuelan Artist’s Deportation to Guantánamo Bay Sparks Outrage; Maduro Positions Himself as Defender |
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| The case of Freddy Javier Mendez Cañas, a Venezuelan artist allegedly detained at Guantánamo Bay, has gone viral in Spanish-language WhatsApp and Telegram public groups this week. His sister, Dioscana Gabriela Mendez Cañas, shared a video claiming her brother was wrongfully detained despite having no criminal record, drawing widespread attention to the issue. |
|  | Over 733,000 people across 22 public channels engaged in discussions about the U.S. detention system, expressing concern over the treatment of migrants at Guantánamo and the lack of transparency in recent deportations. The case has ignited broader conversations about the conditions at Guantánamo, with Venezuelan officials, including Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello, positioning themselves as protectors of those affected by U.S. policies.
In Telegram groups, posts celebrating Maduro’s alleged rescue of 177 Venezuelans from Guantánamo gained traction. Additionally, viral messages featured Cabello criticizing the detention center and asserting that none of the Venezuelan deportees were involved with the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, further fueling the political debate.
As the case gained traction on the messaging apps, over 733,000 people (members of at least 22 public channels) engaged in discussions about the U.S. detention system, raising concerns over the treatment of migrants in Guantánamo and the lack of transparency in the most recent deportation processes.
On Telegram, posts suggesting that Maduro “rescued” 177 Venezuelans from Guantánamo were shared among supporters of his regime. A video of him being applauded might have reached more than 247,000 people.
In the same digital spaces, messages where Cabello appears criticizing the conditions at the jail and claiming none of the Venezuelan deportees are members of the Tren de Aragua gang also went viral.
“El Gloria al Bravo Pueblo, alegría y abrazos marcaron retorno de venezolanos retenidos en Guantánamo (“Glory to the Brave People,” joy, and hugs marked the return of Venezuelans detained at Guantanamo),” said one of the most shared messages about this topic, suggesting that Maduro might somehow benefit from the situation. |
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| Methodology: DDIA collects and analyzes social media and messaging apps raw data using two tools: NewsWhip and Palver. The data collection used to back this newsletter took place between February 17 and 25, 2025. All searches were conducted in Spanish and English. Please note that DDIA monitors 1,400+ public WhatsApp groups that use Spanish and Portuguese as their primary language and comprise at least 30% phone numbers based in the United States (+1). We do not have insight into account names or locations. Monitoring is done in partnership with Palver.
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