Selena Gomez criticized by Trump administration over emotional immigration video, faces backlash

Selena Gomez criticized after emotional video on immigration.

The Trump administration chastised Selena Gomez in a new White House-produced video for sharing an Instagram video in which she captured herself sobbing over Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportations of undocumented immigrants.

After receiving backlash from conservative leaders, Gomez quickly removed the initial message. In a subsequent post, she said, “Apparently, it’s not acceptable to show empathy for people.” However, videos of Gomez sobbing are still making the rounds on the internet. “Moms of Victims of Illegal Aliens SLAM,” the official White House post Selena Gomez released her book “You Didn’t Cry for Our Daughters” on Friday. Reaction interviews with three women whose children were reportedly murdered by undocumented individuals are included, along with edited segments of Gomez’s original video.

In the video, Alexis Nungaray states, “Being an actress, it’s actually hard to believe that it’s genuine and real.” Later, Tammy Nobles adds, “I am quite pleased that Trump won. That this is one of the first bills to address immigration makes me very happy. (The video does not name the bill itself.)

In the video, Patty Morin states, “I just feel like it’s a ruse to deceive people and to garner sympathy for lawlessness.”

Gomez’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

President Trump has reaffirmed his campaign pledge to target unauthorized immigrants in the United States with mass deportations in the weeks since he took office. He signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Tuesday, which aims to punish illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the United States with harsher punishments. Additionally, he has mandated that captured migrants be housed in a Guantanamo Bay prison center.

In comparison to other groups, unauthorized immigrants had the lowest rates of violent felony crime and felony crime, according to Texas Department of Public Safety research conducted last year.

For many years, Gomez, a Mexican American, has been an outspoken advocate for immigrant rights. In October, Gomez told Variety that she “definitely wants to stand by my people” at the L.A. premiere of her Oscar-nominated musical “Emilia Perez.” The actor faced questions about comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks about Puerto Rico at a Trump event in New York.