Donald Trump's "border tsar" has vehemently defended a drive to deport unlawful migrants after singer and actress Selena Gomez posted a tearful video saying: "All my people are being attacked, and children."

Axar.az reports that the star, who has Mexican heritage, sobbed uncontrollably on camera, adding: "I wish I could do something but I can't." She captioned her video with "I'm sorry" alongside a Mexican flag emoji.

But Tom Homan, responding to Gomez and others with similar views, told Fox News: "If they don't like it, then go to Congress and change the law. We're going to do this operation without apology."

Trump ordered a nationwide immigration crackdown after returning as president, with 956 arrests on Sunday, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Gomez deleted her original Instagram video but returned to social media to respond to her critics, writing: "Apparently it's not OK to show empathy for people."

She later also removed the follow-up message as well.