The White House released a video criticizing Selena Gomez after she posted a tearful message about people affected by immigration enforcement. The video featured three mothers speaking about their daughters’ deaths; it was political messaging, separate from the immigration directives President Donald Trump had signed days earlier.
What happened between Selena Gomez and the White House?
On January 27, 2025, Gomez shared a tearful Instagram Story about immigration enforcement and children. EL PAÍS reported that she said: “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 deleted the post shortly after sharing it. EL PAÍS
Axios reported on January 31 that the White House had produced a video in response. It featured Tammy Nobles, Alexis Nungaray and Patty Morin, mothers whose daughters’ deaths they linked to undocumented immigrants. They criticized Gomez’s post and contrasted her expression of sympathy with their own losses. Axios
The White House video-library page lists the video under the title “Moms of Victims of Illegal Aliens SLAM Selena Gomez: You Didn’t Cry for Our Daughters” and gives it a February 6, 2025 date. Axios’s January 31 report is a contemporaneous account of the video’s release; the two sources give different dates, so they should not be collapsed into one. The White House title is the administration’s polemical framing, not a neutral description. White House video library
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What did the mothers say in the video?
Axios reported Nobles, whose daughter Kayla Hamilton was killed in July 2022 by a gang member, telling Gomez: “You don’t know who you’re crying for.” Nobles also asked: “What about our children who were brutally murdered and raped and beat to death and left on the floor by these illegal immigrants?” Axios
Axios reported that Nungaray, whose 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn was killed in June 2024, said: “It’s hard to believe that it’s actually genuine and real because she’s an actress.” Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed in August 2023, said: “I just feel like it’s a ruse to deceive people and to garner sympathy for lawlessness.” These are the women’s remarks as reported by Axios, not independent findings about Gomez’s intentions or the cases. Axios
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How does the video relate to Trump’s immigration orders?
Trump signed the executive order “Protecting The American People Against Invasion” on January 20, 2025. It directs federal agencies to enforce immigration laws against inadmissible and removable noncitizens and sets out a range of enforcement measures. The order says: “This order ensures that the Federal Government protects the American people by faithfully executing the immigration laws of the United States.” Executive order
Among its directives, the order calls for civil and criminal enforcement priorities, nationwide Homeland Security Task Forces, action concerning unregistered noncitizens, fines and penalties, expedited removals, detention facilities, and agreements through which state and local officers may perform immigration functions where authorized. It also revokes four listed executive orders from the previous administration and directs agencies to revoke related guidance. These are instructions to agencies; the order’s text alone does not establish that every measure had already been implemented.
The key distinction is that the order is official policy, while the video is a later public response to Gomez’s expression of sympathy. The public record supports describing the video as part of the administration’s messaging during its early immigration-enforcement push. It does not establish a private motive for making it or prove that Gomez was describing specific enforcement cases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What claims about the episode are verified?
- Gomez’s post: It was shared January 27 and deleted shortly afterward, according to EL PAÍS. EL PAÍS
- The White House video: It featured Nobles, Nungaray and Morin criticizing Gomez’s post. Axios reported it on January 31; the White House library lists February 6. Axios White House video library
- The executive order: Signed January 20, it directs agency action but should not be treated as proof that every measure was already in force. Executive order
- A purported Trump post: A fabricated image circulated as though Trump had posted a response to Gomez. PolitiFact found no credible evidence it was authentic, said it did not appear on Trump’s account and rated the claim false. PolitiFact
PolitiFact also reported that border czar Tom Homan responded to Gomez and other critics in a Fox News interview, saying they should “go to Congress and change the law.” That reported interview is distinct from the fabricated social-media image. PolitiFact
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