Selena Gomez hosted an emotional roundtable discussion with three of the young adults featured in Netflix’s docuseries Living Undocumented. The series, which Gomez produced, premieres Friday on the streaming site and follows eight families as they face potential deportation.
Gomez sat down with 18-year-old Bar, whose family fled Tel Aviv, and Colombian brothers Pablo (20) and Camilo (18), who have lived in the U.S. since 2002; their family escaped constant threats from narcos-guerillas. Gomez prompted the three to reflect on their experiences since the documentary was filmed, often tearing up.
“It does seem like time is running out for us,” Camilo said, speaking for him and his brother. Their father was detained and subsequently deported to Colombia, and the brothers were unable to even say goodbye. Pablo added that their appointment with ICE had been postponed indefinitely.
“We’re not safe in our house anymore,” Pablo continued. “I haven’t been in our house in a month. I haven’t slept in my bed.”
Bar reflected on how different her life would be if this experience wasn’t happening. She noted that she is not sure if she will ever be able to meet many of her Israeli family members, since, like Pablo and Camilo, she has been unable to travel outside the country; ICE has all of their passports.
“I was robbed last week,” Bar added. “I was scared to call the police. Could they track my family? Would they get in touch with my parents? Would they come to my house? I basically don’t exist.”
The young adults also recall rare moments of comfort, like finding friends they could trust and share this experience with.
“I really hope that the fight doesn’t end with us leaving,” Camilo offered toward the end of the conversation. “I hope the fight continues to the point where this country welcomes us with open arms.”
Earlier this week, Gomez shared an op-ed with Time in which she shared her family’s experience with immigration as well as her thoughts on the current crisis. “It is a human issue, affecting real people, dismantling real lives,” she wrote. “How we deal with it speaks to our humanity, our empathy, our compassion. How we treat our fellow human beings defines who we are.”
