© Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Selena Gomez has responded to a controversial call for her deportation after she shared an emotional video addressing the impact of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The singer and actress, who has long been an advocate for immigrant rights, found herself in the middle of a heated online debate following her tearful Instagram post earlier this week.
In the video, which has since been deleted, Gomez expressed her distress over the recent wave of deportations targeting undocumented immigrants. “All my people are getting attacked, the children,” she said, visibly emotional. “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.”
The post, captioned “I’m sorry” with a Mexican flag emoji, was a response to Trump’s recent executive actions cracking down on illegal immigration. Gomez’s paternal grandparents migrated to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1970s, and she has often spoken about her family’s immigrant background and the challenges they faced.
However, her message drew criticism from some Trump supporters, including Sam Parker, a Republican who ran for the U.S. Senate in Utah in 2018. Parker took to X (formerly Twitter) to call for Gomez’s deportation, writing, “Deport Selena Gomez.” In a follow-up post on another account, Parker accused Gomez of siding with “illegals” over America and suggested her family’s immigration history made her unworthy of U.S. citizenship.
Gomez didn’t let the comments slide. She clapped back with a screenshot of Parker’s post on her Instagram Story, writing, “Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.” Parker, seemingly amused, shared Gomez’s response on X, captioning it, “Selena Gomez has responded to me,” alongside a crying-laughing emoji. He later posted a screenshot of a news headline about the exchange, adding, “American Nationalism is back. With a little boost from Selena Gomez.”
