Bruce Springsteen Releases New Song ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ in Response to ‘State Terror Being Visited on the City’

Bruce Springsteen is addressing the recent unrest in Minneapolis through a new protest song.

The 76-year-old musician released “Streets of Minneapolis” on Wednesday, Jan. 28, framing it as a response to weeks of demonstrations against ICE and what he describes as escalating political violence in the city. The release follows reports of ongoing protests tied to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign in Minneapolis, alongside the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Springsteen announced the track in an Instagram reel, sharing cover art that shows a black-and-white crowd scene filled with protest signs reading “ICE OUT.”

In the caption, he wrote that he “wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today,” calling it a response to “state terror” in Minneapolis. He dedicated the song to the people of the city, “our innocent immigrant neighbors,” and “in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” adding: “Stay free.”

Throughout the song, Springsteen depicts a city “aflame” and references smoke, rubber bullets, and gunfire. He describes ICE as “King Trump’s private army from the DHS” and questions the agency’s stated purpose of enforcing the law.

In the chorus, he sings: “Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice / Singing through the bloody mist / We’ll take our stand for this land / And the stranger in our midst,” later adding, “We’ll remember the names of those who died / On the streets of Minneapolis.”

The lyrics also reference Pretti — described as an ICU nurse — who Springsteen says was fatally shot by ICE on Saturday, Jan. 24, an incident he portrays as a catalyst for renewed anger and protest.

Elsewhere, the song echoes the language of the national anthem: “Against smoke and rubber bullets / By the dawn’s early light / Citizens stood for justice / Their voices ringing through the night.”

The track also draws comparisons to Springsteen’s 1993 song “Streets of Philadelphia,” written for the film Philadelphia, which starred Tom Hanks and addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic. That earlier song followed a solitary figure on the margins, looking for compassion without asking for it outright.

Springsteen has a long history of using his music to reflect the country’s tensions and contradictions. His 2001 song “American Skin (41 Shots)” addressed race-based police brutality and the shooting of Amadou Diallo. And his 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A.” — often mistaken as purely patriotic — centers on disillusionment and the costs carried by ordinary Americans.