A Texas Republican is accusing Selena Gomez of crying “crocodile tears” in a since-deleted video of the star sobbing that was posted amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“@SelenaGomez’s crocodile tears aren’t for deportations — it’s a PR stunt to distract @TheAcademy from Hispanics HATING her movie,” Rep. Monica De La Cruz said on X on Monday.
In the clip that had appeared on Gomez’s Instagram page before reportedly being removed on Monday, the “Only Murders in the Building” star was seen wiping away tears as she said, “All my people are getting attacked,” with an image of the Mexican flag appearing onscreen.
“I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something, but I can’t,” the 32-year-old performer cried.
The video posted for Gomez’s more than 420 million Instagram followers came amid President Trump’s ramped-up efforts on deportation and at the southern border.
In her post on X, De La Cruz said of Gomez’s video, “I represent a 90 percent Mexican-American border community. Where was she when the cartels targeted our kids?”
“It’s ALL fake — just like her TERRIBLE ‘film’!” the lawmaker said in an apparent reference to “Emilia Pérez.”
The movie — which tells the story of the head of a Mexican cartel who undergoes gender affirmation surgery and has been called a “divisive Oscar front-runner” — picked up 13 Academy Award nominations when they were announced last week.
Some critics of the film have accused it of playing into stereotypes about Mexico, and GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization, said it was a “step backward for trans representation.”
But Gomez — who in 2019 wrote an op-ed detailing how many of her family members entered the U.S. from Mexico in the 1970s — also found some support for her social media post.
Media pundit Geraldo Rivera wrote on X that Gomez “should be commended for her compassion and sincerity.”
“People attacking her on social media should be ashamed. You can disagree without being disagreeable,” Rivera, 81, said.
“We need comprehensive immigration reform. We can’t arrest our way out of our immigration crisis. Bravo Selena,” the TV personality said.
A representative for Gomez didn’t return ITK’s request for comment.
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