The Department of Homeland Security responded swiftly and scathingly when pop singer Chappell Roan used her stage time to lash out at U.S. immigration enforcement. During a performance Friday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, Roan shouted “fuck ICE forever,” triggering a rebuke from DHS officials who accused her of pandering and demanded she “get a grip.”
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, fired back at the singer’s remarks: “Pink Pony Club is good. Pedophiles are bad. That’s who we’re getting off of our streets. Get a grip.” Her terse response appeared in coverage by TMZ and circulated widely across social media.
Roan, known for her support of progressive causes, has frequently made her political views known. The singer has openly backed transgender activism, even pledging portions of her ticket sales to charities that promote changes in gender ideology. She dedicated her first VMA trophy last year to “all the queer kids in the Midwest,” declaring “I am one of you.”
Her activism hasn’t stopped there. Roan has also been criticized for targeting Jewish groups and voicing support for Palestinians and Hamas, a position that drew sharp condemnation from critics in mainstream media. Commentator Bill Maher lambasted her rhetoric, suggesting that she would be among the first targets of radical Islamist groups if her ideology aligned with theirs, citing their well-known animus toward LGBTQ individuals.
The clash underscores the growing divide between political entertainers and federal enforcement agencies. While Roan used her concert to make a provocative political statement, DHS clearly saw it as beyond the bounds of acceptable public discourse— especially directing that anger at a sensitive and highly politicized agency like ICE.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to highlight its efforts to reduce the population of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Officials claim that more than 2.2 million illegal immigrants have departed the country since Trump took office and began intensifying immigration enforcement. The exchange between Roan and DHS illustrates how cultural confrontations over immigration, identity, and enforcement are spreading into every corner of American life.
