Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has strongly indicated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed at the Super Bowl in February. This announcement comes as Latin music sensation Bad Bunny is set to headline the highly anticipated halftime show.
During a recent interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, Secretary Noem affirmed the presence of ICE, stating that federal immigration officers would be ‘all over’ the major sporting event.
Noem emphasized her responsibility to ensure attendees could enjoy and safely leave the Super Bowl, but added a caveat: only ‘law-abiding Americans who love this country’ should attend.
The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist, known for global hits like ‘MIA,’ ‘I Like It,’ and ‘Me Porto Bonito,’ was recently announced as the Super Bowl halftime headliner in Santa Clara, California. Following this, conservative commentators, including Johnson, criticized Bad Bunny for not performing in English and for his outspoken opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, labeling him a ‘massive Trump hater’ on social media.
Bad Bunny, who recently concluded a successful 31-show residency in Puerto Rico, is a known advocate for economic equality and other social concerns impacting his home territory. He has previously stated his reluctance to perform in the continental U.S., citing concerns that his fans might become targets for ICE agents.
He expressed significant concern regarding this potential risk to his audience.
Responding to Johnson’s suggestion that the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny was a deliberate message to the Trump administration, Secretary Noem emphatically stated, ‘They suck and we’ll win and God will bless us.’
In a powerful statement released after the NFL’s announcement, Bad Bunny dedicated his performance to ‘those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown,’ emphasizing it was ‘for my people, my culture and our history.’
Representatives for Bad Bunny, the NFL, and Roc Nation (the Super Bowl halftime show producers) have not yet provided comments on the developing situation.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security reiterated that ‘there is no safe haven for violent, criminal illegal aliens in the United States.’
For months, the Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on undocumented immigration across major U.S. cities, leading to instances where even U.S. citizens, particularly Latino men, have been stopped and detained by ICE agents.
Noem’s statements mirror earlier remarks made by her chief adviser, Corey Lewandowski, also on ‘The Benny Show.’
Lewandowski asserted that there is ‘nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally — not the Super Bowl and nowhere else.’
He issued a stark warning: ‘We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you.’