Digital Rhetoric and Identity Politics in Associations of Returning Migrants to Mexico

ABSTRACT This article examines how Mexican deportees and returnees construct collective identity through digital platforms. Analysing Facebook pages of groups such as Otros Dreams en Acción and Dream in Mexico , it explores the strategic use of terms like ‘dreamers’, deportados and retornados to resist stigma and reshape public discourse. Employing rhetorical theory, particularly ideographs and counter‐ideographs, the study demonstrates how digital rhetoric facilitates digital identity politics and activism. A text‐mining analysis reveals evolving terminology and highlights how these online communities challenge dominant narratives, advocate for recognition and influence public policy in both the United States and Mexico.