As immigration raids roll out across the U.S., those affected are processing the experience in the normal 2025 wayvia vertical video.Across social media, people are uploading clips with uncanny-valley titles like A normal day for me after being deported to Mexico and 3 things I wish I knew before self-deporting from the US! These posts have the normal shape, voiceovers, and fonts of influencer content, but their dystopian topic reflects the whiplash of the current historical moment.Doomscrolling last week, a particular clip caught my eye. A man sits on the bottom bunk of a metal bed, staring down at the floor, with the caption Empezando una nueva vida despus de que me Deportaran a Mxico (Starting a new life after being Deported to Mexico).This is the page of Roman Quintanilla, who has been posting videos on his Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts for the last month. The videos have titles like How I get water in Mexico for the week and The real life after deportation , and are tagged with #deportation, #lifeafterdeportation, and #deportado.The videos aesthetic almost blends into the ambient internet stream of content, and in some ways, these posts do feel almost normal. Quintanilla has a video celebrating 50,000 Instagram followers (from July 6thhes now at 103,000) and regularly posts on his story to announce that hell be going live on TikTok later, or to ask people to watch on his YouTube because hes monetized there. But a more jarring video shows a deportation journeya mans feet in an orange jumpsuit, a spartan room with a mattress on the floor, a ticket, and clips from a bus journey crossing the border.The rapid growth of his accounts speaks to a clear post-deportation niche, but not everything is serious. His video The steps you will have to take after being deported from the USA to Mexico starts with him talking about how he wants to help other people in his position, and ends with him illustrating dance steps to the song Cotton-Eyed Joe. The same video, but in SpanishLos pasos qu tiene qu hacer uno al ser deportado de USA a MEXICO (the steps you need to take when being deported from the US to Mexico)cuts to a clip of him eating chicharrones.TikTok irony is also not dead. In late May, natti_b1 posted a long series under the title Deportation experiencemight delete this later so if you got to see this nice #fyp #inmexico #deported. But in her most recent video from this week, which uses the viral I Grieve Different audio, she shows how shes still processing the emotions of the experience; Finally visiting Mexico after 21 years - #deported - Still in mx tho.Accounts like @OlgasChronicles23 go more in depth. Her longer life after deportation series details her deportation to Oaxaca last Christmas, and her culture shock and difficulties finding work while living in the pueblo her family was originally from. At the same time, she also uses classic TikTok formats like She doesnt know it yet [but this will be the last time she goes out before being deported] and Day in our life [in Mexico after being deported].There are also a number of people covering self-deportation. Last month, influencer Julie Ear posted a series inviting viewers to Come with me to self-deport my mom; her mom Regina is also now sharing her experiences via TikTok.Similarly, Francisco Hernandez-Corona, a graduate of Harvard, has been sharing his self-deportation experience across platforms since May. In a three-part series, the 34-year-old explains his family history and how he was smuggled into the US at 11, an illegal crossing that later meant that he had no pathway to citizenship. Other videos document the nightlife, food, and fun of living in Puerto Vallarta, with videos like Follow our journey as we make Mexico our new home!, and clips of Pride parties. There is a sense of relief in some of his captions, and, in the comments on one post, he describes Mexico as A literal blast!!!!!.On the account GringaVsMexico, a U.S. woman married to a Mexican citizen has been posting frequent updates of the preparations of her self-deportation with her husband since April. The move finally took place in mid-May, and recent videos include POV: doing dishes at your suegras [mother-in-laws] home because she just made you an amazing lunch, JUST MEXICO THINGS and Do not move to Mexico unless your prepared to be happy & content , also tagged #lifeafterdeportation. Another video repeats Take me to get tacos, and is tagged #costoflivingmexico.Documenting deportation online is not newAnnie Garcia has 34,000 subscribers on her Life After Deportation YouTube channel, which she started in 2021, and where she shares tips for deportees and interviews others about their experiences. However, demand for this content seems to have encouraged other people to share older stories.In April, Rafael E started posting about his 2017 deportation on TikTok, hoping that someone thats in the same position as [him] can maybe learn a thing or two from the experience. His account is growing, and his New to ? series includes topics like the Mexican credit system and how English speakers can find work.These videos speak to deportees experience of the US legal system, their detentions, and the fear and administrative burden of being undocumented. They provide community, resources, and advice for those going through similar things. That said, they do also sit strangely against a broader media context of violence, tear gas, militarized displays in local parks, fear in daily life, and ongoing ICE raids on farm workers.