“Before I thank God, I’m going to say ‘ICE out,’” Bad Bunny said after taking the stage to accept his Grammy for best urban music album for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
“We are not savages. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are human beings, and we are Americans,” he continued.
The Grammy Awards in Los Angeles proved to be a political hotbed, with at least a dozen artists, including Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean, making some kind of statement against the Trump administration’s immigration operations across the country.
Justin and Hailey Bieber, Carole King, Teddy Swims, Joni Mitchell, Finneas, Eilish, Samara Joy, Lachi, and Kehlani wore pins that read “ICE OUT.”
Bon Iver wore a bright orange whistle on his lapel to honor the “watchers” of Minneapolis, who, he said, patrol the streets and blow their whistles when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is nearby to protect their neighbors and communities.
Last month, two American protesters in Minneapolis were shot and killed by federal agents conducting immigration raids in the city. Their deaths have intensified calls for ICE to leave Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other cities where immigration raids have taken place.
Later in the show, Eilish and her brother, Finneas, accepted the Grammy for Song of the Year and used their brief time on stage to speak about immigration.
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said in her acceptance speech. “It’s so hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel so hopeful in this room.”
She continued, “And I feel like we just need to keep fighting, keep raising our voices and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and people matter.”
She continued speaking, but the broadcast muted the rest of her message, apparently because she used profanity. She and Finneas returned to their seats.
Dean, who had just won the award for best new artist, also praised immigrant families in her acceptance speech earlier in the evening. It was the first statement of the official awards ceremony.
“I’m here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean said. “I wouldn’t be here; I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. … We are nothing without each other.”
Bad Bunny’s statement comes a week before his performance at the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Bad Bunny, who won three Grammy Awards on Sunday, including Album of the Year, will make history as the first Spanish-speaking Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. He will also be the first reggaeton artist to do so.
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE and NBC NEWS)
