ICE reports to vile threats: Inside one controversial star’s intense backlash after Love Island USA
She did not have it easy once she was removed from the villa
Cierra Ortega walked into the Love Island USA villa with optimism, charm, and a hope for connection but her time on the show was cut short. Just a week before the season seven final, she was removed from the villa. At the same time, a social media post of Cierra’s that saw her using a racial slur circulated. Since leaving Love Island USA, a tidal wave of hate, death threats, and even an ICE report has come her way.
Cierra was removed from Love Island USA
Love Island USA season seven had not one but two of its Islanders suddenly removed from the villa.
Yulissa Escobar was only on the show for a few days before she was axed after a podcast episode resurfaced that saw her using a racial slur.
Then, weeks went by before Cierra was also removed for similar reasons.
She was told to leave the villa by producers, and a fellow Islander, Zak Srakaew, broke down the exact moment it happened.
Her parents spoke out
Cierra using a slur to describe her eyes
byu/Significant_Bit_8106 inLoveIslandITV
After their daughter’s sudden axing from the show, Cierra’s parents broke their silence via her Instagram Stories.
In a lengthy post, they wrote how they’d been through “one of the most painful weeks of their lives.”
It read:
“We’ve seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate. And while Cierra hasn’t seen any of it yet, we have. And so have the people who love her.”
While they think their daughter should be held accountable for her actions, they added their thoughts on things going “too far.”
“We’re not here to justify or ignore what’s surfaced. We understand why people are upset, and we know accountability matters…” they wrote.
“What’s happening online right now has gone far beyond that,” the post continued. “The threats. The cruel messages. The attacks on her family, her friends, even her supporters, it’s heartbreaking. It’s uncalled for. No one deserves that kind of hate…”
By the looks of the IG post, it looks like Cierra’s parents have concerns about how she’ll deal with the hate that came her way because of the racial slur controversy.
“She hasn’t had the chance to process any of this or speak for herself… But we know our daughter. We know her heart. And when she returns, we believe she’ll face this with honesty, growth and grace….” they added.
Cierra apologised for slur use in 2024
Cierra’s apology and full on accountability in 2024…
I really hate you all. pic.twitter.com/mlsnsOgU1K
— amaya’s papaya (@jacqueenin) July 10, 2025
After Cierra’s removal from Love Island USA, DMs were released by someone who called her out for using the same racial slur back in early 2024, whom she ended up saying sorry to.
Although producers and Love Island USA viewers have only just discovered that Cierra used a racial slur, someone called her out for doing it in early 2024. They told her that she “seems unaware that the word c**** is an extremely racist and offensive word.”
The message, which appears to have been sent in January 2024 as a response to her story, claimed that the word she used goes “against Asians,” adding that it’s “incredibly hurtful and unacceptable to be using that word, especially in this context.”
Seemingly, they had responded to Cierra’s racial slur used after getting Botox, which ended with: “You’ve lost a follower. I hope you take this opportunity to grow.” Cierra responded by thanking them and admitting she’s “so embarrassed for being so naive and unaware.”
She said: “It’s not excuse as the damage has already been done. You have every right to be upset for my careless misuse of the word. I do hope you know I had zero ill intention and I didn’t mean to cause any harm. Being a POC and minority myself, I should be careful.”
“Thank you for educating me and I can assure you this word has been removed from my vocabulary and I’ll make an honest effort to make sure no other derogatory words or terms leave my mouth or are shared to my audience,” Cierra continued.
She claimed an ICE report was made
During her apology video regarding the use of racial slurs which led to her removal from Love Island USA, Cierra revealed that ICE had been called on her family amid backlash.
She explained: “While I was in the villa, there were some posts that resurfaced from my past where I was very naively using an incredibly offensive and derogatory term.
“And before I get into the details, I want to first start by addressing not just anyone that I have hurt or deeply offended, but most importantly, the entire Asian community. I am deeply, truly, honestly so sorry.
“I had no idea that the word held as much pain as much harm, and came with the history that it did or I never would have used it.”
She continued: “I do want to hold my hands up and say that I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur.
“I had no idea of its meaning, and it wasn’t until I made the public story post in 2024 when a follower of mine reached out to correct me and let me know that what I was saying was incredibly hurtful.”
Cierra continued, claiming that due to the backlash of her post, ICE was called on herself and her family, explaining they no longer “feel safe in their own home.”
Love Island USA star got death threats
After addressing her Love Island USA departure on July 9, Cierra is taking to her IG Stories to share more about the backlash she’s getting post-show.
In her IG video, she spoke of receiving “death threats.” Now, the season seven star is sharing proof of the types of messages she’s been receiving.
She later took to her Stories to add another message.
Cierra wrote:
“What should be a collective opportunity to address derogatory language and the harm they carry, has instead snowballed into an excuse for cruelty, I have every belief that all this energy can be alchemized into something with real impact. If even a fraction of it was used to uplift the community directly impacted, to continue amplifying Asian voices and their healing, imagine how much further we could be as a collective.”
Since her axing from the show, Cierra lost 70k followers in under 24 hours. But now it seems her following is creeping back up since she started sharing how she’s taking accountability for her actions.
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