The Trump Administration has hit out at Bruce Springsteen for the “irrelevant” anti-ICE song, ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’, which was released earlier this week.
Released on Wednesday (January 28), the track was written by The Boss in response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti – each of which were shot and killed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on separate occasions in recent weeks.
Good, aged 37, was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on January 7, and her death led to mass protests across the country.
Pretti, also aged 37, was killed on January 24 less than a mile away from where Good died. He was shot 10 times in five seconds by an ICE officer. Both Good and Pretti were US citizens, and the latter had been part of the protests unfolding in the wake of Good’s death.
In mourning of them, Springsteen wrote the song over the weekend, recorded it on Monday (January 26), and released it two days later.
He shared a statement saying that ir was “in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis”, and “dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbours and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good”.
In the lyrics, he sings: “We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis,” and also directly condemns President Donald Trump. “King Trump’s private army from the DHS/ Guns belted to their coats,” his lyrics continue. “Two dead left to die on snow-filled streets/ Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
Now, a spokesperson for the White House has shared a new statement condemning the song and the claims made by Springsteen.
“The Trump administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities – not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter.
She continued, saying that: “The media should cover how Democrats have refused to work with the administration, and instead, opted to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegals.”
This isn’t the first time that The Boss has openly criticised Donald Trump and the actions of ICE.
Earlier this month, the iconic singer-songwriter made a surprise appearance on stage in New Jersey, and called for ICE to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis” at the gig.
“Right now, we are living through incredibly critical times. The United States – the ideals and the values for which it stood for the past 250 years – is being tested as it’s never been in modern times,” he said.
“If you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city, using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, send a message to this president as the mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”
He also condemned the ICE raids that took place in Los Angeles last summer, describing them as “disgusting, and a terrible tragedy.”
As for comments about Trump directly, the ‘Dancing In The Dark’ singer has previously called for the president to be impeached and “consigned to the trash heap of history”.
He has also described him as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous”, and endorsed the No Kings movement against him in October.
Trump has also hit back at Springsteen previously, describing him as “highly overrated” and a “pushy, obnoxious jerk” amid criticism.
Others who have criticised Trump and ICE recently include Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Neil Young, Moby, Zara Larsson, musician and Stranger Things star Joe Keery, Spider-Man actor Yuri Lowenthal, Duran Duran, Dave Matthews and more.
Billy Bragg also released a track called ‘City Of Heroes’ recently, written in “tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis”.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota governor Tim Walz are among those in politics who have called for ICE to end its presence in the city. Trump and many of his followers, however, have defended the actions of ICE, saying the agents were acting in self-defence.
