U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be present at the 2026 Super Bowl and its halftime show, Corey Lewandowski, a member of the administration, said.
Lewandowski — a longtime adviser to Donald Trump who supported his 2016 and 2024 campaigns and now works with the Department of Homeland Security — confirmed the presence shortly after Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny was announced as the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performer.
On the Oct. 1 episode of The Benny Show podcast, host Benny Johnson asked whether “ICE will have enforcement at the Super Bowl for the Bad Bunny halftime show.”
“There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally,” Lewandowski replied. “Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you.”
“So know that is a very real situation under this administration, which is contrary to how it used to be,” he added.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was confirmed as the halftime headliner on Sept. 28. The 31-year-old is scheduled to perform at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8, 2026.
Following the announcement, Bad Bunny told Apple Music 1 hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden that he was “really excited for my friends, my family. Puerto Rico, all the Latino people around the world. I’m excited about my culture. I’m excited about everything, not just for me.” He noted that the beach shown during the announcement is his hometown beach, calling the moment “very special.”
In a statement after the reveal, Bad Bunny said the performance is “for my people, my culture, and our history.” He also wrote on X that, after discussing it with his team, he plans to do “just one date in the United States,” referencing his earlier decision to limit U.S. performances amid concerns about ICE activity.
Last month, in an i-D cover story, Bad Bunny explained that his choice not to tour the U.S. more extensively had multiple reasons and was not motivated by hate. “I’ve performed there many times,” he said. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent.” He added that a residency in Puerto Rico made it possible for fans from the U.S. and elsewhere to travel there to see him.
“But there was the issue of — like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert],” he told the publication. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
During his appearance on The Benny Show, Lewandowski criticized the choice of Bad Bunny as halftime performer, calling it “shameful” and saying the selection “seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime game.”
“We should be trying to be inclusive, not exclusive,” he said. “There are plenty of great bands and entertainment people who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.”
When Johnson suggested Lewandowski’s comments would be newsworthy, Lewandowski responded that enforcement “will be everywhere.” “Look if there are illegal aliens, I don’t care if it’s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else, we’re going to do enforcement everywhere because we’re going to make Americans safe,” he said.
“That is a directive from the president, and if you’re in this country illegally do yourself a favor, go home, we’ll buy you the plane ticket. Get out of the country and you’ll have a chance to come back legally,” Lewandowski added.
