By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
Celebrity opinions during times of political and social tension have long been controversial. This is understandably so, as they do not face the typical experiences of the average citizen without money and fame to spare.
Within the last year, the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids around the country has increased severely since the passing of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” According to a report by the American Immigration Council, “The Trump administration has dramatically changed the profile of who is being arrested by increasing the use of ‘at-large’ arrests in American communities by 600%.”
Throughout the last few months, several celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen and SZA have been vocal about their opinions against ICE and their cruel treatment and deportation of immigrants. At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber expressed their disapproval of ICE through either speeches or “ICE Out” pins.
After winning the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album, Bad Bunny, who recently performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, made a speech saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ‘ICE out.’ We're not savage. We're not animals. We're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny has been constantly criticized by the president, despite being a citizen of U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and having American citizenship. In his case, speaking out against ICE is personal and he has been consistent and vocal in his opinions. Eilish is another example of an artist who has frequently called out ICE and the president, saying during her speech that, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
Although no one, including celebrities, has an obligation to speak on any topic, being explicitly against ICE brings attention to the issue at hand. While celebrities do not have political power, they do have large fanbases that listen to them and support the causes they talk about.
However, communicating one’s outlook on social and political issues can look different than making speeches or posts on social media. Despite several attendees at the Grammy’s wearing pins, many did not talk much about it on their social media or live.
While all these methods are forms of protests, it can end up looking shallow when someone makes one post about a social issue or wears a pin once to protest. It can seem as though these privileged people are taking part in the smallest part of activism when the issue is at its height to save face or not get backlash for not saying anything later.
Everyone is entitled to the way they support the topics they feel passionate about but celebrities have certain power in the media that can affect people who are being targeted by ICE or even physically going to protests. With this in mind, one post online has no impact compared to a consistent, overt, and thorough form of activism.
Currently, protests have been going on for months in states like Minnesota and have been spreading all throughout the country. Even colleges, universities and high schools have had student protests on campus. Columbia University is probably the most well-known example of this at the moment.
At a time when the country is facing such a crisis, activism should not be small for those who have the convenience of doing it from their home without facing consequences. Even though celebrities do not have to protest for human rights, when they do, it should be done with effort.
