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Credit: HuluSelena Gomez has responded after a politician threatened her with deportation over her comments on the Trump administration.
Yesterday, Gomez – who rose to fame after starring as Alex Russo in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place – shared an emotional video on her Instagram in which she broke down in tears over the huge number of migrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following President Trump’s return to office.
“I’m so sorry,” Gomez said. “I don’t understand. I wish I could do something, but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. My people are being attacked, and it’s devastating.” She also added, “All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand.”
Gomez, who is of Mexican descent on her father’s side, also promised to try “everything” possible to protect and support her community. However, she soon removed the video from her Instagram, instead making another post that reads, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.”
In the wake of Gomez’s post, former U.S. Senate candidate Sam Parker – who unsuccessfully sought election from Utah in 2018 – called for the star herself to also be deported.
“Deport Selena Gomez,” Parker wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. He later added, “Selena Gomez picked illegals over America b/c she’s the 3rd gen descendent of Mexican illegals who received citizenship in the ‘87 Amnesty. She has an entitlement attitude toward America, like her illegal g’parents. Maybe Selena should be deported, too?”
Gomez responded to Parker on Instagram, where she wrote: “Oh Mr Parker, Mr Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.”
Selena Gomez responds to U.S. Senate candidate Sam Parker calling for her to be ‘deported’:
“Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.” pic.twitter.com/ObzjSvdVi4
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 28, 2025
Parker made another response, writing in a post that’s since been deleted (via MailOnline), “Inject their tears into my VEINS. I dragged Selena Gomez pretty hard today.” Another post read, “American Nationalism is back. With a little boost from Selena Gomez.”
Deportations and arrests have surged in the days since resumed the position of president, having beaten out former President Joe Biden in the elections back in November. Since being sworn back into office, Trump has signed multiple executive orders to enforce mass deportations.
As per NBC News, ICE arrested 1,179 people on Sunday, beating out the 956 arrests made on Sunday night. Just 613 of those total arrests are reportedly considered “criminal arrests.”
Trump has also signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship, despite 14th Amendment protections. Set to take effect in February, the move faces legal challenges from 22 states and activist groups.
Gomez has a history of supporting immigrants. In 2019, she produced the documentary Living Undocumented and wrote an essay for Time detailing her family’s history of illegally entering the United States from Mexico.
“Undocumented immigration is an issue I think about every day, and I never forget how blessed I am to have been born in this country thanks to my family and the grace of circumstance,” Gomez wrote. “But when I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations. I feel afraid for my country.”
She went on to add: “I don’t claim to be an expert. I’m not a politician, I’m not a doctor, and I don’t work in the system at all,” she continued. “ I understand it’s flawed and that we need rules and regulations, but we also have to remember that our country was formed by people who came here from other countries.”
Gomez retains a strong relationship with Disney to this day. She recently cameoed in the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, alongside her former co-star David Henrie, and is one of three leads in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short.
What do you think of Parker’s comments?