Selena Gomez responded to U.S. Senate candidate Sam Parker after he called for her deportation due to her support for Mexican migrants. The 32-year-old singer posted an emotional video expressing her sorrow over recent ICE raids, which led to 956 arrests in major U.S. cities. In the now-deleted Instagram post, she tearfully apologized, saying, “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.” She added, “I’ll try everything, I promise,” captioning the video with a Mexican flag emoji.
The post, which was quickly deleted, sparked backlash from Trump supporters, including Parker, who criticized Gomez’s sympathy for undocumented immigrants. Parker, in a series of posts on X/Twitter, said, “Deport Selena Gomez,” claiming she favored “illegals over America” due to her family’s history of crossing the border from Mexico. Gomez, whose family gained U.S. citizenship after initially being undocumented, produced a 2019 documentary titled Living Undocumented, reflecting on her personal connection to immigration issues.
Gomez swiftly hit back at Parker, responding on Instagram, “Oh Mr Parker, Mr Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.” Parker, seemingly pleased by the attention, responded in a now-deleted post, saying, “Inject their tears into my VEINS. I dragged Selena Gomez pretty hard today.” He added, “American Nationalism is back. With a little boost from Selena Gomez.”
In her 2019 essay for Time, Gomez shared her perspective on immigration, acknowledging the privilege of being born in the U.S. and expressing concern for those in similar situations. “I feel afraid for my country,” she wrote, emphasizing the importance of remembering that the U.S. was built by immigrants.
