Selena Gomez Responds to Senate Candidate Calling for Her to Be Deported: 'Thanks for the Laugh'

Selena Gomez is not staying silent after former Republican Senate candidate Sam Parker called for her to be deported for posting an emotional video about the ongoing ICE raids in the United States.

The singer and actress posted to her Instagram Stories, where she shared that she had a laugh over his deportation comments.

"Oh Mr. Parker, Mr. Parker. Thanks for the laugh and the threat," Gomez wrote.

Gomez made headlines when she previously shared a video of her sobbing amid the mass deportations of Hispanic individuals under the Donald Trump administration.

"I just want to say that I am so sorry. All my people are getting attacked. The children, I don't understand. I wish I could do something," the singer, whose father is of Mexican descent, said through tears.

Gomez continued her emotional video by sharing she would do everything she could in order to help during this time.

After Gomez posted the video, she received immediate backlash with some calling the video staged, while others accused Gomez of making the ongoing plight all about herself. The Only Murders in the Building actress then deleted the video and shared a separate post.

"Apparently it's not ok to show empathy for people," she wrote.

One of the many people to call out Gomez was Parker, who called for Gomez's deportation.

"Deport Selena Gomez," Paker responded on X.

As part of his tweet, he retweeted a statement from an account that goes by the username @BasedSamParker that accused Gomez of being part of "Mexican illegals."

"Selena Gomez picked illegals over America b/c she's the 3rd gen descendent of Mexican illegals who received citizenship in the '87 Amnesty. She has an entitlement attitude toward America, like her illegal [grand]parents. Maybe Selena should be deported, too?" it read.

Meanwhile, Gomez's emotional post was not the first that time she has spoken out in defense of immigrants. She previously spoke to TIME about the mistreatment of undocumented people.

"It's time to listen to the people whose lives are being directly affected by immigration policies. It's time to get to know the individuals whose complex stories have been reduced to basic headlines," she said.

In her statement to TIME, she also noted that she understands that there needs to be some sort of immigration reform.

"I understand it's flawed and that we need rules and regulations, but we also have to remember that our country was formed by people who came here from other countries," she said.

--Originally appeared on 'Music Times.'

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Selena Gomez