A number of stars spoke out against President Trump’s immigration crackdown and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
Billie Eilish was among the stars to knock the Trump administration’s immigration policies while accepting the award for Song of the Year for “Wildflower.”
“As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land,” she said.
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” Eilish said, adding “F— ICE,” remarks that were censored by CBS.
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Bad Bunny, who is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday, also criticized ICE after winning the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” he said to a lengthy standing ovation.
“We’re not savages. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans,” added the Puerto Rican rapper, who was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
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Democratic lawmakers and other public figures have increasingly criticized the Trump administration’s surge of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel in recent weeks after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good and two immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month. Both were 37-year-old U.S. citizens.
Olivia Dean, who was honored as Best New Artist at the Grammys on Sunday, said, “I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant. … I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
Multiple Grammy attendees, including Eilish, Carole King and Justin and Haley Bieber, wore pins saying “ICE Out.” Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon wore an orange whistle on his lapel in support of activists in Minnesota, who use whistles to alert residents to the presence of ICE and CBP in their neighborhood.
“It’s to honor the observers in Minneapolis,” Vernon told Variety before the awards show began. “They blow the whistles when they see ICE come in, and they’re there to protect their community and they’ve been doing it for weeks in 30-below [temperatures].
“I think that kind of work, it’s really great to stop here and to celebrate music and to talk about the power of music and to recognize each other, but I think the real work is in the streets of Minneapolis right now and I’m here to honor them as well,” he noted.
Trump slammed the Grammys in a post early Monday, calling it “virtually unwatchable.”
