In recent weeks, a wave of misleading content regarding the Los Angeles protests has proliferated on social media, predominantly among Spanish-speaking communities. Many posts falsely tie the protests to socialist or communist entities, including claims that immigration protest groups are linked to the “Venezuelan mafia,” Cuba’s Communist Party, and Mexico’s Morena Party. These accusations lack solid evidence and mirror similar narratives from past protests, like those surrounding George Floyd and pro-Palestinian movements.
The protests, catalyzed by President Trump’s stringent immigration policies, have featured extreme actions, such as confrontations with law enforcement and vandalism. While some far-left elements have endorsed violence, the disinformation campaign appears aimed at associating the protests with leftist Latin American governments and promoting Trump’s political stance. Evelyn Pérez-Verdía from We Are Más highlights an increase in publicly accessible misinformation, particularly in Spanish, contrasting with historically hidden inaccuracies found on platforms like Telegram.
Falsehoods continue to characterize protest leaders, like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom, as communists. A fabricated image of Bass with Fidel Castro circulated widely, distorting her past interactions with Cuba. There’s a notable divergence in misinformation content across languages, with Spanish-language narratives heavily focusing on local political figures and their alleged radicalism.
Further complicating matters, claims about Mexican leaders encouragement of the protests have reached federal actors, exacerbating the situation. Experts like Darren Linvill note the prevalence of deceptive Spanish-language accounts compared to English ones, pointing to a surge in fake accounts used for political manipulation. The spread of this disinformation fosters deepening partisanship, distrust in expertise, and a fragmented perception of shared reality essential for effective governance.
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