White House responds to Selena Gomez's emotional video on immigration raids

The White House response has amplified criticism of Gomez, who is of Mexican descent.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez
Updated on
2 min read

Days after Selena Gomez posted a now-deleted Instagram video expressing her distress over mass deportations under the Trump administration, the White House released a counter-response featuring three mothers whose children were allegedly murdered by undocumented immigrants.

In the video shared on the White House's official social media channels, Tammy Nobles, mother of Kayla Hamilton, who was reportedly killed by an El Salvadoran national in 2021, delivered a pointed message to Gomez: "You don’t know who you're crying for. What about our children who were brutally murdered, raped, and beaten to death by these illegal immigrants?" Nobles continued, "They didn’t cry for our daughters."

The video also featured Alexis Nungaray, whose 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn was killed in 2023, questioning Gomez's sincerity given her career as an actress. "It's hard to believe that it's genuine because she's an actress. My daughter was a child. Many other children’s lives were taken due to people who cross here illegally," Nungaray said.

Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was murdered in 2023, also criticised Gomez, calling her video "a ruse to deceive people and garner sympathy for lawlessness."

The White House post, which was shared by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, included a caption: "Kayla Hamilton, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin were murdered by illegal aliens. Their courageous mothers had something to say to Selena Gomez and those who oppose securing our borders."

Selena Gomez’s Instagram video, which she posted on 27 January, showed her in tears as she described the deportations as an attack on "all my people." "All my people are getting attacked, the children. 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," she said. Her emotional message was accompanied by a caption reading "I'm sorry," along with a Mexican flag emoji. The video was deleted shortly after receiving backlash.

The White House response has amplified criticism of Gomez, who is of Mexican descent. Critics, including Texas Republican Monica De La Cruz, suggested that Gomez's emotional appeal was more about public relations than genuine concern. "Her crocodile tears aren’t for deportations – it’s a PR stunt to distract from Hispanics hating her movie," De La Cruz wrote, referring to Gomez’s Oscar-nominated film Emilia Perez.

Meanwhile, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, defended the deportations, stating that law enforcement was targeting national security threats, not innocent families. "We have over half a million children who were sex trafficked into this country and separated from their families. Where are the tears for them?" Homan questioned, adding that there would be "no apologies" for the deportations.

The controversy comes amid an increase in immigration raids, with more than 3,500 undocumented migrants arrested since President Trump’s return to office on 20 January. In contrast, during the 2024 fiscal year under former President Joe Biden, the average number of arrests per week was far lower, at around 310.

The debate between those supporting the crackdown on illegal immigration and those, like Gomez, who argue for the protection of vulnerable communities, continues to stir emotions and divide public opinion.

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