Pop star Billie Eilish appeared to take aim at recent immigration enforcement actions during an acceptance speech Saturday, saying the country is watching people be “kidnapped” and that peaceful protesters are being “assaulted and murdered.”
Eilish did not mention Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by name while accepting the 2026 MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award, but her remarks echoed the language she has used in earlier posts criticizing the agency.
“To be honest, I really don’t feel deserving,” Eilish said. “And it’s very strange to be celebrated for working towards environmental justice at a time where it feels less achievable than ever, given the state of our country and the world right now.”
She then delivered a broader condemnation of what she described as a sweeping rollback of rights and resources.
“We’re seeing our neighbors being kidnapped, peaceful protesters being assaulted and murdered, our civil rights being stripped, resources to fight the climate crisis being cut for fossil fuels and animal agriculture destroying our planet, and people’s access to food and healthcare becoming a privilege for the wealthy instead of a new basic human right for all Americans,” Eilish continued.
“It is very clear that protecting our planet and our communities is not a priority for this administration,” she added. “And it’s really hard to celebrate that when we no longer feel safe in our own homes or in our streets.”
Her comments come amid heightened public anger following the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent earlier this month. The administration has described the shooting as self-defense, saying Good drove her car toward the agent. Supporters of Good dispute that account, arguing she was killed unjustifiably—an incident that has fueled protests in Minnesota and beyond.
Days after Good’s death, Eilish posted a message on Instagram labeling ICE a “terrorist group.”
“ICE is a federally funded and supported terrorist group under the Department of Homeland Security that has done nothing to make our streets safer. They are domestic terrorists tearing apart families, terrorizing citizens, and now murdering innocent people. Enough is Enough,” the post said.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back sharply. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin later criticized Eilish in a statement given to Billboard, arguing that newly released footage supports DHS’s version of events.
“Clearly, Billie Eilish has not seen the newly released footage, which corroborates what DHS has stated all along — that this individual was impeding law enforcement and weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal law enforcement,” McLaughlin said.
“ICE does not separate families,” she added. “Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement. It’s garbage rhetoric from the likes of Billie Eilish that is leading to a 1,300% increase in assaults and 3,200% increase in vehicle rammings against our brave law enforcement.”
