Country music star Zach Bryan, who had long steered clear of overt political messaging in his lyrics, has now stepped squarely into the immigration debate with a new song attacking ICE and denouncing President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration.
According to Breitbart, Bryans decision marks a sharp turn for an artist whose fan base includes many blue-collar, patriotic listeners who generally support border enforcement and law and order. The move has already triggered a backlash from supporters who see his latest work as aligning with the open-borders left and demonizing the very officers tasked with upholding federal immigration law.
Bryan first teased the track, titled Bad News, in October, prompting immediate criticism from fans who accused him of being pro-illegal migrant and anti-police. The full version has now been released on YouTube, confirming that the initial concerns were not misplaced.
The song opens with Bryan casting himself as a rough-edged everyman, boasting that he did not wake up dead or in jail that morning. The verse notes that he is missing his girlfriend, recounts a visit from the police, and then has Bryan sneering at officers as cocky motherfuckers.
From there, the lyrics pivot from personal bravado to a direct attack on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Trump-era immigration enforcement. In the next verse, Bryan portrays ICE agents as home invaders busting down doors and terrifying children, while he symbolically raises his middle finger at the government and laments that America is fading because of it all.
And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door Try to build a house no one builds no more But I got a telephone Kids are all scared and all alone The Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling The middle fingers rising and it wont stop showing I got some bad news The fading of the red, white and blue.
After the teaser drew intense criticism, Bryan rushed to insist that his message was being misconstrued online. He claimed that the social media reaction had not only embarrassed but kind of scared him, suggesting he had not anticipated the scale of the backlash.
In an Instagram Story, Bryan tried to reassure fans that his patriotism remained intact, stressing his military service and love of country. I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space, Bryan wrote, insisting, I wasnt speaking as a politician or some great-than-thou ahole, just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else.
Bryan further argued that the full track hits at both sides of the aisle, framing it as a critique of political division rather than a one-sided attack on enforcement. Still, he conceded that the angry responses only underscore how devastatingly divided we all are, a division his own lyrics now appear to deepen.
The Department of Homeland Security responded in a pointed and unmistakable fashion, posting a video that used Bryans earlier song Revival as the soundtrack to footage of Border Patrol and ICE agents carrying out their duties and detaining illegal migrants. The message from DHS was clear: while celebrities may disparage them, federal officers continue to enforce the law on the ground.
For many conservatives, Bryans new stance places him firmly on what they view as the pro-illegal alien side of one of the nations most consequential political battles. The looming question for the singer is whether his core audiencemany of whom favor secure borders and respect for law enforcementwill continue to support him as he embraces rhetoric that mirrors progressive talking points.
Bryans fraught relationship with law enforcement adds another layer to the controversy. In September 2023, he was arrested in Oklahoma and charged with obstruction of an investigation following a traffic stop, an incident that he later admitted he handled poorly.
Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said, he wrote afterward, acknowledging his own misconduct. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around, he continued, attempting to reaffirm his respect for officers.
The following year, Bryan earned widespread praise when he publicly honored law enforcement and mourned the death of New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller, signaling what appeared to be a genuine appreciation for those who wear the badge. Now, with Bad News, he appears to be drifting away from that stance, choosing to vilify ICE and border agents at a time when the country is grappling with record illegal crossings and communities are bearing the cost of Washingtons failures.
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