Selena Gomez has opened up about her family’s history and her fears for the future of America in a powerful new immigration essay.
The singer and actress has written the editorial for Time magazine, accusing politicians of “dismantling real lives” as they try to keep immigrants out of the country.
The 27 year old writes: “It is a human issue, affecting real people… How we deal with it speaks to our humanity, our empathy, our compassion. How we treat our fellow human beings defines who we are.”
She reveals her aunt crossed the Mexican border into the U.S. in the back of a truck in 1970 and her grandparents followed, shortly before the star’s father was born in Texas. Gomez was born a U.S. citizen in 1992, and thanked her family members for their “bravery and sacrifice”.
“Over the past four decades, members of my family have worked hard to gain United States citizenship,” Selena writes. “Undocumented immigration is an issue I think about every day, and I never forget how blessed I am to have been born in this country thanks to my family and the grace of circumstance.
“But when I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations. I feel afraid for my country.”
Gomez also wrote about her involvement in the new documentary series Living Undocumented, which follows eight immigrant families facing possible deportation.
“It (film) captured the shame, uncertainty, and fear I saw my own family struggle with,” Gomez explains, “but it also captured the hope, optimism, and patriotism so many undocumented immigrants still hold in their hearts despite the hell they go through.
“I’m concerned about the way people are being treated in my country. As a Mexican-American woman, I feel a responsibility to use my platform to be a voice for people who are too afraid to speak. And I hope that getting to know these eight families and their stories will inspire people to be more compassionate, and to learn more about immigration and form their own opinion.”
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