What to Know
More and more celebrities are using their platforms to speak out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seems to be getting angry. Several artists condemned ICE during their Grammys 2026 acceptance speeches, and many others sported “ICE OUT” pins at the event. But Noem dismissed their concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration policies, referring to the celebs as “ill-informed famous musicians.”
Kristi said ICE agents are “wonderful, amazing people.”
When speaking to Fox News Digital, she implied that the celebrities who defended immigrants and spoke out against violence just don’t know what they’re talking about. Celebrities such as Billie Eilish and Kehlani said “f— ICE” during their Grammys acceptance speeches. Other artists who condemned the Trump administration’s actions focused on coming together and having hope, choosing love over hate, and celebrating and protecting immigrants.
Meanwhile, when reacting to these speeches, Noem focused on defending ICE and President Donald Trump. “I wish they knew what wonderful, amazing people our ICE officers are,” Noem said of the celebrities who spoke out against ICE. “Many of these officers live in these communities where they are doing enforcement activities. Their families live there and that’s their neighbors they are protecting by getting dangerous criminals off the streets. They are going after those murderers and rapists, people that are trafficking drugs, and protecting America.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed ICE is targeting “the worst of the worst.”
But data has suggested otherwise. Multiple reports from Trump’s second presidency have revealed that many of the individuals detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. In addition to this, people are concerned about ICE agents’ violent and aggressive tactics. A CBS News poll found that over 50 percent of Americans feel that ICE is making communities less safe.
But Noem insisted that cities are safer now. “That is what President Trump said he would do, he said he would make us safer, and he has done that,” she told Fox News Digital. “We have reached historic lows in crime rates in this country, the lowest rate of murder and crime since we have been recording it for over 100 years. So it’s real results, people are feeling it in their communities, and it’s too bad that ill-informed famous musicians make statements like that without truly knowing what great Americans our ICE and Border Patrol officers are.”
People wish Noem would stop “gaslighting” them.
Though Noem tried to say that the celebrities who speak out against ICE are “ill-informed,” people questioned what she actually meant by that. “Ill-informed meaning not believing her lies?” one person on Reddit wrote. They also wondered why Trump administration officials seem to feel the need to react to everything celebrities say and do. Calling Noem “petty,” another critic said, “I’m old enough to remember a time when political figures didn’t feel the incessant need to weigh in on or respond to literally everything celebrities say about them.”
Someone else added, “Their overwhelming need to always have the last word has led to some truly inane statements that only succeed in making them look more ridiculous.”
