Although Selena Gomez has since deleted her tearful video in response to President Donald Trump‘s mass deportations, the White House isn’t letting it go that easily.
After the 8x Golden Globe nominee cried that “all my people are getting attacked, the children” in the video, the Trump administration responded with a PSA of less-than-sympathetic mothers, equating undocumented immigrants to rapists and murderers.
“Seeing that video, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually genuine and real because she’s an actress,” says one mom of the clip showing Gomez reduced to tears.
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Another mom asserts, “You don’t know who you’re crying for. What about our children who were brutally murdered, and raped, and beat to death, and left on the floor by these illegal immigrants?”
Following reports of ICE raids in major cities, Gomez expressed her distress over the situation on her Instagram Story. “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 tearfully said.
Kayla Hamilton, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin were murdered by illegal aliens.
Their courageous mothers had something to say to @SelenaGomez and those who oppose securing our borders. Watch ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KfsqQGwhqj
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 31, 2025
After garnering backlash, Gomez said in a since-deleted post, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.”
Gomez is one of millions of concerned American citizens who believe the Trump administration is not handling the situation sensitively, breaking up families and traumatizing children in the process.
Last Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it was ending a policy that restricted ICE agents from arresting undocumented people at houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the DHS said in a statement.
The deportation of immigrants looking for a better life in the U.S. hits home for Gomez as her grandmother was a Mexican migrant chasing the American Dream at one point.
Gomez hasn’t been shy about providing a platform for Latino voices and stories, producing the Vix’s Spanish-language series Mi Vecino, El Cartel. She also starred in the Oscar-nominated film Emilia Pérez in the role of Mexican-American character Jessi Del Monte.