Bruce Springsteen has released a new protest song attacking federal immigration enforcement and the Trump administration, turning two deadly confrontations in Minneapolis into a rallying cry for the left.
The New Jersey rocker, a longtime critic of Donald Trump, unveiled Streets of Minneapolis on Wednesday, framing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal officers as state terror agents and dedicating the track to two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were recently shot and killed while attempting to obstruct federal immigration operations.
According to Gateway Pundit, Springsteens latest effort is being hailed by Trump opponents as an anti-ICE insurgency anthem, even as the facts of the incidents and the broader mission of ICEremoving dangerous criminal illegal aliensare being aggressively distorted for political effect.
In the song, Springsteen explicitly targets King Donald Trump, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, casting them as villains in a narrative of federal oppression. The track continues a pattern for the musician, who has endorsed and campaigned for every Democratic presidential nominee since John Kerry in 2004 and most recently appeared in a video backing Kamala Harris in 2024.
During his 2025 European tour, Springsteen reportedly railed against President Trump at every stop, turning his concerts into political rallies rather than musical performances. At a recent show in New Jersey, he escalated his rhetoric further, smearing ICE agents as Gestapo, a comparison that trivializes real historical evil while demonizing Americans tasked with enforcing the law.
Springsteen posted a brief statement on Wednesday explaining his motivation for the song, presenting federal law enforcement as the aggressor rather than the defender of public safety. I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. Its dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free, Bruce Springsteen.
The White House, for its part, dismissed the song and its inflammatory claims, emphasizing that the administrations priority remains public safety and the rule of law. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson underscored that the Trump administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.
Jackson went further, pointing to the real policy divide at stake rather than celebrity theatrics. She added, The media should cover how Democrats have refused to work with the Administration, and instead, opted to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegals.
Despite its overtly partisan message, Streets of Minneapolis has gone viral among Trump critics, amassing over 4 million views on Springsteens Facebook page and nearly 5 million combined views across three music videos on his YouTube channel. Forbes reported that the track surged to the top of the iTunes chart on Thursday, illustrating once again how celebrity activism can drive digital traffic even when it misrepresents law enforcement and undermines respect for national sovereignty.
An updated video released Thursday layers the song over imagery from the anti-ICE unrest in Minneapolis, visually glorifying resistance to federal officers. The lyrics posted to YouTube paint a bleak, accusatory portrait of federal agents as occupiers and killers, while portraying those who interfered with immigration enforcement as martyrs.
Through the winters ice and cold Down Nicollet Avenue A city aflame fought fire and ice Neath an occupiers boots King Trumps private army from the DHS Guns belted to their coats Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law Or so their story goes Against smoke and rubber bullets By the dawns early light Citizens stood for justice Their voices ringing through the night And there were bloody footprints Where mercy should have stood And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
The chorus elevates Minneapolis as a symbol of resistance, blending local tragedy with a broader ideological message about immigration and protest. Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice Singing through the bloody mist Well take our stand for this land And the stranger in our midst Here in our home they killed and roamed In the winter of 26 Well remember the names of those who died On the streets of Minneapolis.
Springsteen continues by branding federal officers as Trumps federal thugs, accusing them of brutality and deceit while singling out senior administration officials by name. Trumps federal thugs beat up on His face and his chest Then we heard the gunshots And Alex Pretti lay in the snow, dead Their claim was self defense, sir Just dont believe your eyes Its our blood and bones And these whistles and phones Against Miller and Noems dirty lies.
The refrain returns, again casting the city as a victim of federal violence and promising to memorialize those who died in confrontations with law enforcement. Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice Crying through the bloody mist Well remember the names of those who died On the streets of Minneapolis.
In later verses, Springsteen broadens his attack, alleging systemic targeting of minorities and portraying ICE as an occupying force trampling civil rights. Now they say theyre here to uphold the law But they trample on our rights If your skin is black or brown my friend You can be questioned or deported on sight.
The song closes by fusing anti-ICE chants with imagery of destruction and defiance, presenting unrest as the authentic heart and soul of the city. In chants of ICE out now Our citys heart and soul persists Through broken glass and bloody tears On the streets of Minneapolis Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice Singing through the bloody mist Here in our home they killed and roamed In the winter of 26 Well take our stand for this land And the stranger in our midst Well remember the names of those who died On the streets of Minneapolis Well remember the names of those who died On the streets of Minneapolis.
While Springsteens fans celebrate the track as a protest anthem, the song ultimately reflects a broader trend on the left: celebrity-driven efforts to delegitimize immigration enforcement, vilify those who protect Americas borders, and romanticize resistance that interferes with lawful operations.
As the administration continues to press for cooperation from state and local officials in removing criminal illegal aliens, the clash between entertainment-world activism and the sober responsibilities of governance is likely to intensify, with songs like Streets of Minneapolis serving as cultural weapons in a partisan campaign against the rule of law.
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