Music’s biggest stars protest ICE at Grammy Awards amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

Pop star Billie Eilish was among several celebrities who used the stage at Sunday’s Grammy Awards to criticize the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"No one is illegal on stolen land," Eilish said while accepting the Grammy for Song of the Year. "I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter."

"And f--- ICE, that's all I'm gonna say, sorry," she added.

Wearing an "ICE OUT" pin, Eilish also emphasized the urgency of continued activism during her remarks.

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"It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now," she said. "I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting, speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter."

Singer SZA was another artist who criticized the state of the country following the Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown, which left two Americans dead in Minneapolis after encounters with federal agents. 

"It's just like, it's incredibly dystopian that we're dressed up and able to celebrate accolades in the material world, and people are getting snatched up and shot in the face on the street," she told Variety. "It just feels bizarre, and I find so many of us don't really know how to feel right now, besides rage and hopelessness, and I don't feel like that's the calling card that I want to subscribe to."

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SZA won two of the five Grammys for which she was nominated and used her platform to directly condemn ICE, warning against despair.

"And, you know, it's always f--- ICE," she said.

"Please don’t fall into despair," she said while accepting the Grammy for Record of the Year. "I know that right now is a scary time. I know that the algorithms tell us that it’s so scary and all is lost. There’s been world wars and plagues, and we have gone on. We can go on. We need each other, we need to trust each other and trust ourselves."

"We’re not governed by the government; we’re governed by God," she concluded.

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Eilish and SZA were among a broader group of musicians who used the 2026 Grammy Awards to call out ICE.

Several artists wore "ICE OUT" pins, including Eilish, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kehlani, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Brandi Carlile.

Other performers included anti-ICE or pro-immigration remarks in their speeches, including Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean and Shaboozey.

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny took direct aim at ICE during his Grammy acceptance speech, using the moment to denounce the agency and defend immigrants’ humanity.

"ICE out," Bad Bunny said while accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. "We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens — we are humans and we are Americans."

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R&B singer Kehlani urged fellow artists to unite against injustice while accepting her Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.

"We're stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now," Kehlani said. "So, instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what's going on. And I'm going to leave this and say, f--- ICE."

British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean highlighted her family’s immigration story during her Grammy acceptance speech, praising the courage and contributions of immigrants.

"I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant," Dean said while accepting the Grammy for Best New Artist. "I’m a product of bravery, and those people deserve to be celebrated."

Country artist Shaboozey dedicated his award to immigrants while accepting the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

"Immigrants build this country — literally," he said. "This is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunity, to be a part of a nation that promises freedom for all and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it."