The US government has responded after Olivia Rodrigo recently spoke out against the “awful” experience of her music being used for “dystopian” ICE videos.
The comments come following the pop star hitting out at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security in November, when they posted a clip of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers forcibly tackling and detaining people, which was soundtracked by the rock-heavy section of ‘Guts‘ track ‘All-American Bitch’.
The post came with a caption asking for illegal immigrants to “self-deport” or face “the consequences”.
“Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda,” Rodrigo commented after seeing the post.
Olivia Rodrigo slams Homeland Security for using her song “all-american b*tch” in a video promoting ICE:
“don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” pic.twitter.com/Gvlbm38sDK
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) November 7, 2025
Now, in a new cover interview with British Vogue, she has looked back at the incident, and described what it felt like to see her music being used in a video that showed immigration enforcement officers detaining people.
“That was awful. Dystopian,” she said. “The way that ICE is ripping apart communities and terrorising people is so disturbing… It’s a really sad, scary time.”
In response to her comments, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement, saying that Rodrigo should be thankful for the ICE officers.
“America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe,” the statement said (via Billboard). “We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice.”
“ICE does NOT separate families,” it added. “Parents are given a choice to either take their child with them or place them in the care of someone they designate. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement.”
Rodrigo has been vocal about the ongoing deportation crisis in the USA in the past too, and back in June decried the administration’s actions in Los Angeles, where a series of protests against ICE raids took place.
olivia speaking out against ICE, and going to a peaceful protest truly means the world to me pic.twitter.com/387cBy7vgo
— riley. ∞︎︎ 𖦹 ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ ♡ IS SEEING ARI (@supernaturiley) June 15, 2025
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life, and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration,” she wrote at the time. “LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful.
“I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”
The singer dropped her latest album, ‘Guts’, in 2023 as the follow-up to her critically acclaimed breakthrough album ‘Sour’ in 2021. Since then, she has embarked on some huge headline shows, including a stop at Glastonbury 2025 that saw her bring out The Cure’s Robert Smith as a special guest.
It now looks like she is gearing up for new music, as cryptic pink clues have been discovered by fans in LA and London. On top of that, Robert Smith has recently revealed that he has been “in the studio” with Olivia Rodrigo lately, after their slot together at Glasto.
