Selena Gomez should be going through a personal career peak right now, but she is understandably shaken by the operation by ICE that has so far led to the arrest of 1,000 immigrants all across the nation. Gomez shared a video on Instagram Stories as a result, where she was moved to tears about the deportations, with a Mexican flag at the bottom of the post. Unfortunately, it’s open season for the cynical, and not only was she bullied to the point where she had to delete the post, but former Utah senatorial Republican candidate Sam Parker called for Gomez, too, to be deported.
First of all, calling Sam Parker a “senatorial candidate” is generous in that it’s only true due to a technicality. It’s sort of like describing Kanye West as a “presidential candidate.” In reality, Parker didn’t get past the first ballot of the Republican primaries in Utah in 2018. The backlash to his calling for Selena Gomez to be deported is by far the highlight of his public life — and when Gomez responded on her Instagram, saying, “Thanks for the threat and the laugh,” it’s probably the first and last time some people will hear of him. He probably knows this fact too because he’s currently gleefully pinned the response to his profile.
The nature of these deportations has started to become an outright mockery. The mere fact that the situation has deteriorated from discussing the intricacies of splitting families apart to live TV ICE operations with Dr. Phil on hand, interviewing individuals facing deportation, would be ridiculous if it weren’t already so grim. And now it’s clear President Trump’s attempt to outlaw the constitutionally enshrined birthright citizenship has emboldened his base to the point that they’re calling for Selena Gomez to be deported — a person who was not only born in Texas but has lived and worked in America her entire life — simply because her father is of Mexican descent.
Selena Gomez is known for her grace and her penchant for killing them with kindness, so her swift response is not particularly surprising. However, that doesn’t mean her dedicated fans were as ready to accept that slight and just move on. One X was quick to suggest that Gomez should consider suing Parker.
One reminded everyone invested in this story that only weak people leverage such sick threats.
One asked such an important question that might be getting lost in all the cacophony of Trump’s second term: is it okay to just bully anyone who doesn’t agree with Trump?
What Gomez displayed was empathy — a fundamental human emotion that the border czar Tom Homan about Gomez’s reaction, he sneered that she had no tears for Americans who died of fentanyl. Apparently, empathy is only acceptable when it aligns with the Trump istration’s narrative. We should all be better than this.
Published: Jan 28, 2025 12:49 pm