Selena Gomez is facing criticisms from the online community after she shared a social media clip where sheโs โcrying like an idiot,โ weeping over Donald Trumpโs massive deportation of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Selena Gomez lost over 750,000 Instagram followers in the past month following backlash over an emotional video she posted addressing Donald Trumpโs Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns of undocumented migrants in the U.S.
The former Disney star, whose grandparents emigrated to Texas from Monterrey, Mexico, responded to the widespread immigration crackdown by sharing her grievances online, where sheโs seen weeping in a now deleted clip on Instagram.
โIโm so sorry. All my people are getting attacked,โ Gomez, 32, told her 422 million followers in the January 27 post. โThe children. I donโt understand. Iโm so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I canโt. I donโt know what to do. Iโll try everything, I promise.โ
The post immediately went viral, racking up millions of views within hours. However, the response was anything but unanimous.
โProud of herโ
Some fans applauded the actor, who served as executive producer ofย Living Undocumented, a 2019 documentary that followed the lives of 11 illegal immigrant families living in the U.S.
โSelenaโs tears speak volumes. Her empathy for the children and families affected is heartbreaking yet inspiring. We need more voices like hers to bring attention to such injustices. Proud of her for standing with her people,โ tweets one fan of her heartfelt clip.
A second writes that โSelenaโs story is heartbreaking, and it really shows how deeply she cares.โ โSeeing her express that kind of raw emotion over the deportations and the suffering of children is powerful. Itโs clear she feels a strong sense of empathy and a desire to help. Hopefully, her platform can inspire others to take action or at least raise awareness about these injustices,โ the user tweets.
A third shares, โPeople are laughing at her but I get her, Selena came from an immigrant parents and she was given an opportunity while sheโs crying because there areย Mexicanย kids that are getting deported and their future is getting destroyed she has the right to cry.โ
โOpen your homesโ
Meanwhile, others were less than pleased and suggested that โcrying doesnโt solve anything.โ
โThere are many other ways to help, I donโt think recording yourself crying on a video will help that much. Go out and try to meet with them, fight to make them hear your voice, use your influence in a better way, crying doesnโt solve anything,โ shares one user.
A second writes, โShe says โI wish I could do something.โ Sheโs worth $1.6 billion. She could do something IF she really wanted to.โ
Selena Gomez shares new Instagram story crying amid the deportation of Mexicans:
โIโm so sorry. All my people are getting attacked. The children, I donโt understand. I wish I could do something.โ pic.twitter.com/9H7ojMhpCN
โ Pop Base (@PopBase) January 27, 2025
โSheโs got multiple properties. She can rehome some illegal immigrants into any / all of them. Much more useful than crying like an idiot,โ another user rages in the comments section of a tweet that shows her clip. โCome on [Selena] donโt be a hypocrite. Open your homes to some illegal immigrants.โ
A fourth netizen suggests her acting isnโt believable: โFor an actress, sheโs terrible at crying and convincing me. She needs to be more dramatic,โ the user shared.
White House responds
The White House even responded to her clip with a tweet that features mothers whose kids were killed by โillegal aliens.โ
โKayla Hamilton, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin were murdered by illegal aliens. [These] courageous mothers had something to say to [Selena Gomez] and those who oppose securing our borders,โ theย postย says.
โGomezโs video became a political lightning rod in the days after it was originally posted on Monday, with Republican Utah politician Sam Parker suggesting she should be deported as well because her grandparents originally entered the country illegally,โย Billboardย reports.
โThanks for the laugh and the threat,โย Gomez respondedย on Instagram.
Mass departure of followers
After sharing her tearful clip, the star ofย Only Murders in the Buildingย lost more than 751,000 followers, according toย Social Blade, a site that tracks social media statistics.
Despite the noticeable decline with her online fans, Gomez is still ranked as one of the top followedย celebrities.
After the star deleted the weepy clip, she shared an Instagram story, writing, โapparently itโs not ok to show empathy for people.โ That post has also been deleted.
