'Why don’t you donate your billions?': Selena Gomez mocked for sobbing over Trump’s immigration crackdown

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Selena Gomez faced quite a backlash on Monday, January 27 when she posted, and then quickly deleted, an emotional video of herself crying on Instagram.

The 32-year-old 'Emilia Perez' star appeared to be breaking down over President Donald Trump’s aggressive push for mass deportations, which has been making headlines since he resumed office just last week.

“All my people are getting attacked, the children,” Gomez said through tears. “I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can’t.” She went on to add, “I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.” Gomez also wrote “I’m sorry” alongside a Mexican flag emoji.

Shortly after, she shared a follow-up on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people.” That post, too, didn’t last long before being deleted.

Selena Gomez slammed on social media over emotional clip

However, critics wasted no time responding on social media, with some calling Selena Gomez out for being “out of touch” and “woke.”

"How much did democrats pay her to make a fool of herself?" A user said.

A person wrote, "Thank you, Selena; I needed some salt for my lunch; this suffices."

"Selena Gomez filmed herself ugly crying about the current mass deportations. Because of course, the out-of-touch celebrity with zero understanding of how dangerous our country has become is crying for the criminals being deported. How pathetic," one critic wrote.

"I didn't have Selena Gomez on my bingo card getting canceled in January of 2025. Where were you when 350k children went missing from the border? Where were you when Americans were being killed by illegals? Where were you when cartels were bringing fentanyl across our border? Say their names, Selena," another added.

"Selena Gomez is half-Italian, her Mexican father wasn't in the picture, and her Spanish is terrible. What does she mean 'my people?'" someone else wondered.

Another said, "Why don’t you donate your billion dollars?"

One said, "The Academy Award goes to."

This comes as Trump, who just returned to the presidency last Monday, wasted no time ramping up efforts to deport so-called “criminal migrants.” On Friday, ICE reported that 593 undocumented immigrants had been arrested, and 449 “detainer” requests were filed to hand over individuals targeted for deportation.

Selena Gomez’s roots and advocacy

For those unfamiliar with Selena Gomez’s background, her connection to the immigration issue isn’t new. While both her parents Ricardo Gomez and Mandy Teefey were born in the United States, her paternal grandparents and aunt emigrated from Mexico in the 1970s, according to the New York Post.

Gomez has long been open about her family’s immigration story. In a 2019 op-ed for Time magazine, she wrote: “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.”

She added, “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.”

In her op-ed, Gomez said she understood that immigration laws were "flawed" and "we need rules and regulations.” However, she insisted that “our country was formed by people who came here from other countries” and urged people to listen to those who are directly impacted by these policies.

“It’s time to get to know the individuals whose complex stories have been reduced to basic headlines,” she urged.

The 'Only Murders in the Building' star even produced the Netflix documentary 'Living Undocumented' in 2019, which followed eight undocumented immigrant families navigating life in the U.S. Gomez revealed that watching the documentary’s subjects share their “deeply personal journeys” left her in tears.

She said the film "captured the shame, uncertainty, and fear I saw my own family struggle with."

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