The trigger for a wave of statements was the deaths of Rene Nicole McLean Good and Alex Preti, who, according to reports, were shot by ICE agents at the start of January. Since then, support for the agency among Americans has fallen sharply: an Economist/YouPoll poll found that 46% of US citizens advocate abolishing ICE.
Celebrities’ Reactions to the Minneapolis Events and ICE
Singer Ariana Grande posted a series of Instagram messages critiquing ICE’s actions and urging people to know their rights and reach out to senators. In one of her reposts she shared New York City Mayor Zohan Mamdani’s statement about “abolishing ICE.” On her Instagram she posted a call for a nationwide protest on January 30: “ICE out! Nationwide shutdown! No jobs, no schools, no shopping”.
“ICE out! Nationwide shutdown! No jobs, no schools, no shopping”
– Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish called ICE a “government-funded terrorist organization” that “tears families apart and kills innocent people,” and after Preti’s death publicly urged other celebrities not to stay silent.
Olivia Rodrigo has repeatedly publicly criticized the agency, notably after Alex Preti’s death in Minneapolis. In her Instagram Stories she wrote that “ICE’s actions are unacceptable, but we are not powerless, our actions matter” and expressed solidarity with Minnesota.
Actor Pedro Pascal also posted several Instagram infographics, including one listing the names of nine people who, critics say, died from ICE actions in 2026, and another post calling for a nationwide strike, in which he quoted excerpts from an editorial in The New York Times.
“Truth is the line between a democratic government and an authoritarian regime. Mr. Preti and Rene Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened”
– The New York Times
A screenshot of Pascal’s Instagram Stories.
On January 26, singer Katy Perry addressed her followers on Instagram with a post explaining how to respond to violent ICE actions. The singer published a phone number and ready-to-use text that Americans can use to contact their senators and urge them not to support the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, and thus ICE. She accompanied the post with the call to “Turn your anger into action.” This is not Perry’s first public stance against the agency. In June 2025, during ICE raids in Los Angeles, she also publicly condemned the agency’s actions, particularly regarding Mexican communities of Southern California.
Actress Jenna Ortega has previously openly criticized Donald Trump’s administration’s harsh rhetoric toward migrants, but this week on the red carpet at the Sundance Film Festival she said that she is inspired by Americans’ stance, yet disappointed by the lack of real solutions or accountability for law enforcement from authorities. According to her, it is especially painful to talk about such horrific events in the glamorous atmosphere of a festival premiere: it’s hard to stand in a beautiful outfit and talk about cinema when something so monstrous is happening nearby.
Natalie Portman called the situation in the United States “devastating.” According to her, it’s impossible not to talk about what is happening today, particularly the cruelty of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which, the actress emphasized, must be stopped immediately. At the same time Portman noted another thing – the solidarity of Americans who support and protect one another and fight for their freedom. She concluded that this is a bittersweet moment: celebrating what they are proud of against the backdrop of a country that is hurting.
What preceded: in Minneapolis, officers of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatally wounded poet Rene Nicole McLean Good. The incident occurred in a residential neighborhood of Minneapolis, near blocks with a large share of immigrant communities. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, during the ICE raid several people blocked the agents, and Good allegedly tried to drive into them with her vehicle. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the artist that she “had not seen recently released footage,” as there is evidence that Rene Nicole McLean Good “obstructed law enforcement and used her vehicle as a weapon, attempting to kill or injure federal law enforcement officers”.
Overall, this drew public attention to U.S. immigration policy and the role of law enforcement in high-profile operations.