ICE officials confirm that they will be on-site for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime show.
On Thursday (Oct. 2), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to TMZ that its agents will be deployed to Super Bowl LX.
"There is no safe haven for violent criminal illegal aliens in the United States,” ICE told the outlet in a statement.
The confirmation comes a day after Department of Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski claimed immigration enforcement would be present in response to the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny as their halftime performer.
Lewandowski, speaking with ring-wing commentator Benny Johnson, said ICE’s presence was part of a directive from President Donald Trump.
“If you’re in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: go home,” he told Johnson.
Bad Bunny (born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) previously criticized ICE and said he would not be bringing his Debi Tirar Más Fotos World Tour to the United States because he doesn’t want his concerts to become a target for immigration raids.
“Fucking ICE could be outside [my concert],” the 31-year-old said last month. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about."
Instead, Bad Bunny previously encouraged his stateside fans to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is an incorporated territory of the United States—thus making Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens and vice versa, to see his No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui residency, which played its final performance on Sept. 20.
The three-time Grammy winner was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show which will take place on Feb. 8, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
In a statement, Jay-Z praised the Puerto Rican superstar, saying, “What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," said Bad Bunny in his own bilingual statement. "It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Go and tell your grandma, that we’ll be the Halftime Show of the Super Bowl.”
