A disturbing trend is unfolding on TikTok: young people in Mexico are using artificial intelligence to portray themselves as agents of the Dirección Federal de Seguridad (DFS), the country’s notorious secret police force from the 1970s. The videos, which have sparked condemnation and debate, romanticize a dark period in Mexican history marked by state-sponsored violence, torture, and disappearances. This trend taps into a complex mix of nostalgia, fascination with power, and, according to some experts, a troubling embrace of authoritarian aesthetics.
The videos typically feature young men, often dressed in grey or brown suits, posing proudly in front of classic 1970s cars like Cadillacs or Rolls Royces. Accompanied by popular Mexican music, the posts often include the phrase, “I would’ve loved to live in the 70s with my DFS badge, total impunity… smelling of whiskey and smoke with a shitload of money.” This seemingly glib embrace of “total impunity” is what has drawn criticism, given the DFS’s documented history of abuses during Mexico’s “dirty war.” The DFS, established in 1947 under the long-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), operated as Mexico’s intelligence agency, suppressing political opposition and monitoring perceived subversive groups.
The DFS: A History of Brutality
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, as student protests and armed guerrilla movements gained momentum, the DFS became infamous for its brutal tactics. The agency engaged in widespread kidnapping, torture, and forced disappearances of activists, students, and suspected insurgents. The DFS was also implicated in the practice of “death flights,” where individuals suspected of guerrilla activity were taken to a military base near Acapulco, killed, and their bodies disposed of in the Pacific Ocean, according to reports.
Sergio Aguayo, a Mexican historian who has extensively studied the DFS, explained that the agency “developed a brutal but effective strategy to annihilate the cells of the multiple guerrilla organizations that emerged in the 70s and 80s.” He emphasized their ruthlessness in suppressing the insurgency. Beyond political repression, the DFS also became entangled with the burgeoning drug trade in the early 1980s, allegedly offering protection to traffickers and even participating in the transportation of narcotics, Aguayo added.
The DFS’s involvement in criminal activity extended to the murder of journalists and foreign agents. In 1984, a journalist investigating links between the DFS, the CIA, and drug trafficking was brutally murdered. A year later, in 1985, DEA agent Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena was kidnapped and murdered by drug traffickers; subsequent investigations revealed DFS involvement in both cases. The agency was ultimately dissolved in November 1985.
TikTok Trend and Shifting Cultural Currents
The recent TikTok trend raises questions about why young people are drawn to glorify such a dark chapter in Mexican history. Aguayo suggests the videos reflect “the rise of the culture of violence and the discrediting of the perform ethic… The point is to build a lot of money quickly, without paying attention to how it’s done.” However, other experts see a more complex dynamic at play.
Irene Soria, a feminist scholar and expert on digital culture, argues the trend is linked to the rise of the Mexican far-right and its opposition to the feminist movement. “We’ve seen this, especially in the macho-sphere,” Soria said. “This idea of going against feminism, and by placing myself in opposition to feminism, then I’m the resistance.” Mexico has seen a powerful feminist movement in recent years, with large-scale protests against violence against women. Soria draws parallels to the “tradwife” phenomenon in the United States, where some women embrace traditional gender roles and reject modern feminist ideals.
Interestingly, the trend isn’t limited to male participants. Some women are also posting videos portraying themselves as DFS agents, or as the wives of agents or high-ranking PRI officials. This, Soria suggests, reflects a desire for financial security and traditional family structures.
Backlash and Collective Memory
The DFS TikTok trend has not gone unchallenged. Many users are responding with videos that highlight the agency’s brutality and condemn the romanticization of its past. One TikTok user wrote, using the same music as the DFS videos, “It’s incredible to see how a trend can override collective memory. We were NOT better off before; stop romanticizing one of the institutions that has done the most damage to the country.”
The debate unfolding on TikTok underscores the ongoing struggle to grapple with Mexico’s past and the enduring legacy of the “dirty war.” The trend also highlights the power of social media to both amplify and challenge historical narratives. As of March 19, 2026, the hashtag #TrendDfsMexico has accumulated over 13.4 million posts on TikTok.
The Mexican government has not yet issued an official statement regarding the TikTok trend. However, ongoing inquiries into the abuses committed during the “dirty war” continue, though progress has been hampered by obstruction from military and other agencies, as reported in August 2024. Further developments regarding these investigations are expected in the coming months.
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