Billie Eilish has urged other famous people to speak out about ICE’s actions in Minnesota.
The pop star took to her Instagram Stories amid what the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has described as “the largest mass deportation operation in American history”.
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She also shared a video from her brother and collaborator Finneas about the death of Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE. He called out conservatives’ hypocritical gun law arguments in attempting to justify the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old nurse.
“It was like, ‘Well, [Pretti] had a gun’. Shut the fuck up!” he said. “You’ve spent 30 years straight telling us that children have to die so that we’re allowed to legally carry weapons, everywhere in the United States.
“This guy was being beaten to a pulp on the ground. He didn’t draw his weapon; he had a weapon on him. Legally! And they shot the fuck out of him, and killed him.”
Eilish’s post read: “Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? Or…”
Following Pretti’s death, Olivia Rodrigo also used Instagram Stories to share her thoughts on the situation. “ICE’s actions are unconscionable, but we are not powerless,” she wrote. “Our actions matter. I stand with Minnesota.”
She reshared a story from political commentator Ben Sheehan, too. He described ICE as a “murderous federal agency terrorising an American city” and called on the Senate to block any additional funding for the agency.
Billie Eilish shares new Instagram stories regarding ICE:
“hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? or” pic.twitter.com/8qjBsh0l3y
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 26, 2026
Finneas calls out conservative hypocrisy regarding gun laws and the death of Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents:
“The conservative argument that allows school shootings to continue has always basically boiled down to, ‘We have to protect the second amendment. We have to… pic.twitter.com/YnuDvZmnTB
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 26, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo speaks out against ICE in new Instagram stories:
“ICEs actions are unconscionable but we are not powerless. our actions matter. I stand with Minnesota.” pic.twitter.com/PFUqrT60F8
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 25, 2026
“Tell them how you feel about what’s happening,” Sheehan said, “and that you’ll remember how they vote.”
As The Independent reports, the Trump administration cited Pretti’s decision to legally carry a gun as evidence that he was looking for a violent confrontation with officers. However, carrying a gun is a right guaranteed by Minnesota state law and the Second Amendment.
Eilish criticised ICE earlier this month after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She shared a post calling the agency a “federally funded and supported terrorist group” that was “tearing apart families, terrorising citizens, and now murdering innocent people”.
The singer also reposted a call on the US to “abolish ICE”, listing 32 people who reportedly died in ICE custody last year.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subsequently responded to Eilish: “It’s garbage rhetoric from the likes of Billie Eilish that is leading to a 1,300 per cent increase in assaults and 3,200 per cent increase in vehicle rammings against our brave law enforcement.”
Eilish has long been vocal in her opposition to Trump’s policies, and has been an advocate for gun control in America, speaking out after the Brown University shooting in December.
She previously appeared alongside a host of artists in an Artist For Action To Prevent Gun Violence video, calling for gun control in 2023. In 2019, Eilish implored her fans to speak up to help impose stricter gun control laws in the US, following two deadly mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
