Selena Gomez. Images: Instagram/@selenagomez
Selena Gomez posted then deleted a video of herself crying over President Donald Trump‘s orders for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States.
On his first week back at the White House, Trump implemented the mass deportation, in which thousands of migrants, mostly from Latin American countries, were repatriated to their home countries via military aircrafts. Meanwhile, 24 Filipinos have been deported allegedly due to involvement in illegal activities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X this was in line with Trump’s campaign promise, while stressing that those who had been deported were “criminals.”
On her Instagram Story on Tuesday, January 28, Gomez appeared to be reacting to the raids being carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as she apologized to her “people” for not being able to do anything.
“I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry. All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand,” she said in between sobs. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something but I can’t. I don’t know what to do.”
The words “I’m sorry” along with an emoji of the Mexican flag was also being flashed as she was speaking.
The actress-singer further said she will try to “do everything” in hopes of doing what she could to help. The video was taken down moments later, but netizens have reuploaded Gomez’s breakdown on social media.
Selena Gomez shares emotional Instagram Story about the deportation of Mexican people:
“All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.” pic.twitter.com/il8pPXYZma
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 27, 2025
Selena fights back
After deleting the video, Gomez posted a now-deleted Instagram Story, saying, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people,” which was also reuploaded on multiple social media platforms.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@selenagomez
The video, which gained widespread attention, also caught the attention of US senatorial candidate Samuel Parker on X, to which he said, “Deport Selena Gomez.” Parker, like Trump, is a Republican who supported the latter’s mass deportation policy.
Deport Selena Gomez. https://t.co/QkkDIBWBKD
— Sam Parker 🇺🇲 (@SamParkerSenate) January 27, 2025
Gomez seemingly responded to the politician in a new Instagram Story.
“Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat,” she said.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@selenagomez
Gomez is of Mexican descent. Her paternal grandparents and aunt crossed the border from Nuevo Leon, Mexico to the US by hiding in the back of a truck in the 1970s, as she disclosed in a personal essay in TIME Magazine in October 2019.
Her father Ricardo Joel Gomez, who is of full Mexican descent, was born in Grand Prairie, Texas afterward, while her mother Mandy Teefey has Italian roots. She was named after the late Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla, per reports.
The actress expressed her pride over her Mexican heritage on multiple occasions, where she actively advocated against mass deportation.
“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,” she told TIME. “Immigration is a divisive political issue. It’s the subject of endless arguments and countless news stories. But immigration goes beyond politics and headlines. It is a human issue, affecting real people, dismantling real lives.”