Singer-actress Selena Gomez recently generated a lot of buzz on social media by sharing an emotional video discussing the deportation of undocumented immigrants amid intensified enforcement measures. The actress published a tearful message on Instagram, sharing her sadness and frustration over the issue, only to delete it within hours.
“All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand,” Gomez said in the video. “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 followed up with a now-deleted post, “Apparently it’s not okay to show compassion toward people.” Gomez’s posts soon went viral as support and criticism continued to pour in for followers and public figures. The video was labeled as “absurd celebrity narcissism” by show host Piers Morgan, but others commended her for using her platform to bring attention to the sensitive issue.
Gomez, a third-generation Mexican-American, has previously talked about her family’s immigration story. It was in the 2019 Time essay that she shared the story of her aunt who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border hidden in a truck to pave the way for her family’s journey toward U.S. citizenship.
Controversy arises amidst the enhanced measures of immigration policies by the Trump administration, including ICE nationwide raids. As reported, within one weekend, ICE detained more than 1,200 people with criminal charges or convictions.
Advocating for undocumented immigrants Gomez does not appear to back down as she continues promoting the cause of undocumented immigrants. She is an executive producer of the Netflix documentary Living Undocumented, which traces the challenges of different immigrant families in the United States.
Gomez’s emotive appeal has thrown the debate on immigration into a continued split as her defenders hail her as compassionate, yet critics question her stand. The move has rejuvenated the controversy of immigration policies and their consequences on families within the country, and the debate continues.
To Read More: Entertainment