Real reason Selena Gomez deleted emotional deportation video after it spurred fierce backlash

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Selena Gomez is no stranger to using her platform for social issues, but her emotional video on the Donald Trump administration's mass deportation policy has taken an unexpected turn.

The 32-year-old singer and actress broke down in tears while speaking about the impact of Trump's immigration policy in an Instagram Story video on the morning of January 27, Monday.

However, within hours, she deleted the post—reportedly out of concern that it could alienate Republican supporters of her Rare Beauty brand.

Selena Gomez deletes video, will stay 'in her own lane' now

An insider revealed to Daily Mail that Selena Gomez, who is engaged to music producer Benny Blanco, realized that wading into political waters could be damaging.

“She realizes that she cannot go up against a Republican-backed nation—many of whom are loyal customers of her Rare Beauty brand,” the source explained.

“She does not wish to alienate. She is going to stay out of politics and in her own lane after that drama," they added.

In the since-deleted video, Gomez discussed the situation after Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that it had made 956 arrests as part of President Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Breaking into tears, a visibly distraught Gomez said, “I don’t understand. 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.” The video was captioned, “I’m sorry”, next to a Mexican flag emoji.

While Gomez has always been vocal about immigration issues—previously producing the 2019 Netflix documentary 'Living Undocumented', this particular video was met with fierce backlash from conservatives and MAGA supporters.

Selena Gomez faces severe backlash from conservatives over emotional video

Selena Gomez faced fierce backlash for her emotional reaction to the mass deportations. US Senate candidate Sam Parker even went so far as to call for her deportation, posting on X: “Deport Selena Gomez.”

In another post, he accused her of feeling “entitled” to America because of her family’s immigration history, writing, “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?"

British journalist Piers Morgan also criticized the video, saying: “Posting yourself weeping over illegal immigrant criminals being deported is a new level of absurd celebrity narcissism.”

Trump’s "border czar" Tom Homan doubled down on the sentiment, telling Fox News: “If they don’t like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We’re going to do this operation without apology.”

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller mocked Gomez’s emotional response, suggesting that the singer should invite deported migrants to stay at her mansion.

“Have them over for dinner, feed them, bathe them, let them sleep in your home, pay for their schooling and medical bills,” she wrote.

“You could have helped them and you have not and will not... Save your fake tears," she added.

Selena Gomez responds to deportation calls

Selena Gomez, who has long spoken about her Mexican heritage, admitted in a 2019 Time essay that undocumented immigration is an issue she thinks about “every day".

She detailed her family’s own history, explaining that her aunt crossed the border in the 1970s hidden in the back of a truck, with her grandparents later following.

After deleting the video, Gomez shared a cryptic message: “Apparently it’s not OK to show empathy for people.”

She also hit back at Parker’s deportation comment, writing: “Oh Mr Parker, Mr Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat.”

According to the Daily Mail insider, the 'Only Murders in the Building' star now regrets the emotional display.

“Selena thought that she was being authentic and helpful with her video, but in retrospect, she realizes that it could have been more powerful without the tears,” they explained.

“The tears showed weakness and that is not what she intended," the insider shared.

Critics blasting Gomez suggested that she should be using her fortune—estimated at $1.3 billion—to take direct action rather than posting an emotional video.

“She is very passionate, but after seeing critics calling for her to help by donating some of her millions to enrich the lives of immigrants in their home countries, she realized that she could never win," the source said.

Despite the backlash, Gomez has made it clear that she still stands by her beliefs.

In her own words, “Fear shouldn’t stop us from getting involved and educating ourselves on an issue that affects millions of people in our country.”