Selena Gomez deletes video crying about deportation of undocumented immigrants
Pop icon Selena Gomez posted and deleted a video of herself crying over deportations of undocumented immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the US after Donald Trump was elected as president, Variety reported.
“I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry. 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,” she said amid tears in a video posted to her Instagram story.
Gomez is Mexican-American and, according to The Cut, her paternal grandparents were undocumented immigrants.
The Spring Breakers actor deleted the video shortly after it was posted when she received backlash from conservatives. According to Variety, she then posted a since-deleted response on her Instagram that said, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people”.
Right-wing political host Tomi Lahren posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) criticising Gomez and called her a “certified moron.”
“This is why we don’t take our political advice from Disney child stars,” she said.
Gomez has advocated for undocumented immigrants in the past. In 2019, she produced the documentary Living Undocumented and wrote an essay for Time about America’s immigration crisis.
“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 wrote.
Since Trump came into office, ICE has drastically increased efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. The Washington Post reported that Trump officials issued arrest quotas to ICE, asking them to arrest “at least 1,200 to 1,500” people per day.
ICE officials told the Post that the order will “significantly increase the chance that officers will engage in more indiscriminate enforcement tactics or face accusations of civil rights violations.”
Amid the crackdown 956 arrests were reported on Sunday, 286 arrests on Saturday, 593 arrests on Friday and 538 arrests on Thursday, the BBC said.
Comments