Selena Gomez broke into tears and apologized in an emotional video that she shared and then quickly deleted Monday on social media.
The Emilia Pérez star had tears streaming down her face and could barely keep her eyes open as she looked directly at the camera and said, “I’m so sorry. All my people are getting attacked.”
In the bottom right of the clip, she wrote “I’m sorry,” alongside an image of the Mexican flag.
“The children,” she continued. “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.”
selena Gomez/instagram
Gomez was born in Texas, but she’s often spoken of her Mexican heritage.
Her emotional message comes as President Donald Trump, who took office Jan. 20, per the U.S. Constitution, has enacted the first of his promised policies to deport record numbers of migrants. The number is expected to include breaking up families with mixed statuses.
The new administration deported 956 people on Jan. 26 alone, up from an average of about 409 per day during the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden, the BBC reported.
In October 2019, Gomez referred to herself as “a Mexican-American woman” who felt “a responsibility to use my platform to be a voice for people who are too afraid to speak” in a piece for Time. The Only Murders in the Building actress wrote about the direct effect that immigration has had on her family.
“In the 1970s, my aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States hidden in the back of a truck,” she wrote. “My grandparents followed, and my father was born in Texas soon after. In 1992, I was born a U.S. citizen thanks to their bravery and sacrifice.”
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Gomez said then that she thought about undocumented immigrants “every day.”
“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.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ew.com ’
