Selena Gomez was moved to tears over the weekend as the Trump administration accelerated policies to fulfill the president’s campaign promise of mass deportations. Many people were put off by her display of emotion.
The “Only Murders in the Building” and “Emilia Pérez” star, who is of Mexican descent on her father’s side, posted a since-deleted Instagram video in which she sobbed over the weekend’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting criminals who had entered the country illegally.
“I just wanted to say how sorry I am. All of my people, including the children, are being attacked. I do not understand. I am so sorry; I wish I could do something, but I can’t.
I do not know what to do. I promise to try everything. Gomez, 32, spoke through tears in the raw video. She added an emoji of the Mexican flag and the words “I’m sorry” to the clip.
After facing mixed criticism, the actor-singer removed the video and wrote on her Instagram story, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.”
The outspoken immigration advocate appeared to be responding to President Trump’s decision last week to remove long-standing guidelines prohibiting ICE from operating in “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, or hospitals.
According to the Associated Press, many migrants and advocates are concerned that children will be traumatized if their parents are arrested in school drop off lines or if they avoid getting necessary medical care for fear of being arrested.
In 2019, Gomez produced the Netflix docuseries “Living Undocumented,” in which she shared her family’s experience with the ongoing immigration crisis. She also wrote a moving op-ed for Time in 2019, titled “I’m Afraid for My Country.”
“Undocumented immigration is an issue I think about every day, and I never forget how blessed I am to have been born in this country thanks to my family and the grace of circumstance,” the actress wrote at the time.
Gomez stated that in the 1970s, her aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States in the back of a truck, then her “grandparents followed,” and her father was born in Texas “soon after.”
The actor-singer, whose mother is of Italian descent, stated that it took 17 years for her paternal grandparents to obtain citizenship. In the essay, she praised her family’s “bravery and sacrifice” for allowing her to be born a United States citizen.
However, after posting her video over the weekend, the Rare Beauty co-founder was bombarded on social media by many, including Sam Parker, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Utah’s U.S. Senate seat in 2018, who repeatedly demanded the “Wolves” singer’s deportation.
“Selena Gomez picked illegals over America b/c she’s the 3rd gen descendant of Mexican illegals who received citizenship in the ’87 Amnesty ,” Parker wrote in response to X. “Like her undocumented parents, she has an entitlement attitude toward America. “Maybe Selena should also be deported?”
Gomez’s fans immediately defended her and attacked Parker, prompting him to write on Instagram on Monday that he “didn’t have ‘wage war against a bunch of… Selena Gomez fans’ on my bingo card today.”
“But, here we are. I’m drinking their tears right now. Parker wrote, “#Deport Selena Gomez.”
Gomez’s representative did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Tuesday.
Flavor Flav expressed his support for Gomez on Monday, writing on X, “Team Selena Gomez.” Again. That woman is always so brave to speak her mind, and so many people are quick to bully her.”
Late Monday, Gomez responded to the back-and-forth on social media, writing, “Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. “Thank you for the laugh and the threat.”
Parker then tweeted, “Selena Gomez has responded to me” and included a laughing emoji. Parker has since used his rise in popularity to promote American nationalism and Trump’s America First agenda.
“I woke up this morning to headlines featuring Selena Gomez in every media outlet and social media platform worldwide. Good. While I have your attention, let me point out that America is not a global welfare, job, or education program. “Stay home and build your own countries,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, when asked about Gomez’s video, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, stated on Monday that the administration makes “no apologies” for the ICE raids and is only targeting illegal immigrants with a criminal record.
“If they don’t like it, go to Congress and change the laws. “We’re going to carry out this operation without apology,” Homan said on Fox News. “We will make our community safer. It is all for the betterment of this country. And we’ll keep going. No apologies. “We’re moving forward.”
The Trump administration’s new policy, known as “expedited removal,” allows immigration officials to quickly deport those who have entered the country illegally without going before a judge — even if they have been in the country for up to two years and live far from the border. According to the Times, the policy could lead to mass deportations.