Artists Push Back Against Trump Administration’s Unauthorized Use of Music in Immigration Campaigns
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Throughout 2025, the Trump administration has faced mounting criticism from prominent musicians whose work was used without permission in social media campaigns promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The unauthorized use of popular songs in videos depicting deportations, ICE recruitment, and immigration enforcement sparked a wave of public rebuke from artists who denounced the government’s tactics as divisive and exploitative.
The controversy first gained widespread attention on July 30, when the White House posted a video promoting ICE activities set to Jess Glynne’s 2015 hit “Hold My Hand.” The video’s caption made a pointed reference to a British airline commercial, framing deportation as a one-way trip. Glynne responded swiftly on Instagram, condemning the administration’s use of her song. “My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity — never about division or hate,” she said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also came under fire on December 3 after sharing an ICE recruitment video featuring Joey Valence & Brae’s 2022 track “Punk Tactics.” The duo publicly expressed disgust on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing that the video did not represent their beliefs and that they were working to have it removed. These incidents highlight ongoing tensions between artists and government agencies over intellectual property rights and the messaging surrounding immigration enforcement.
Kenny Loggins, known for his 1986 anthem “Danger Zone,” demanded the removal of his song from an AI-generated White House video depicting President Trump in a fighter jet releasing brown sludge on protesters. Loggins told NPR that the use was unauthorized and that he would have denied permission had he been asked. “There is no ‘us and them’ — that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be,” he said, urging unity over division.
Other artists who publicly objected include MGMT, whose 2017 song “Little Dark Age” was featured in an October DHS video portraying ICE agents arresting protesters. The band issued a takedown request, stating the video was propaganda and misrepresented the song’s meaning. Similarly, Olivia Rodrigo’s 2023 track “All American Bitch” was used in a November video urging self-deportation via the CBP Home app, prompting Rodrigo to call the video “racist, hateful propaganda” before her comment was deleted.
Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 single “Juno” appeared in a December video showing ICE arrests, leading Carpenter to denounce the video as “evil and disgusting” and reject any association with the administration’s immigration agenda. The White House spokesperson responded with a controversial statement referencing Carpenter’s 2025 song “Manchild,” defending ICE’s actions against what they described as “dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles.”
The band Semisonic also condemned the use of their 1998 hit “Closing Time” in a March video promoting deportations, emphasizing that the song is about hope and new beginnings, not enforcement or division. On December 8, the White House shared a holiday-themed ICE video featuring a remix of SZA and Keke Palmer’s “Big Boys,” which drew criticism from SZA and her former manager for exploiting the song’s lyrics about “cuffing season” to reference immigrant arrests.
These incidents reflect a broader pattern of government agencies leveraging popular culture to bolster immigration enforcement messaging, often without securing artists’ consent. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have faced legal and public relations challenges as musicians and their representatives seek to protect their work from what they describe as political weaponization.
The backlash underscores the complex intersection of intellectual property rights, political messaging, and immigration policy in an era of heightened social media influence. As the Trump administration continues to deploy provocative content online, the clash with artists signals ongoing disputes over the cultural and ethical boundaries of government communications.
For more on immigration enforcement and related policies, see the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website and the American Civil Liberties Union’s advocacy on immigrant rights.
Leave a Reply