Becky G makes bold anti-ICE statement on pre-Grammys red carpet
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Becky G turned a red-carpet moment into a political statement ahead of the Grammy Awards.
The 28-year-old Mexican-American singer made waves Friday night, January 30, while attending the 35th annual MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was a star-studded event honoring Mariah Carey, held two nights before the 68th annual Grammy Awards.
As cameras flashed and celebrities posed, Becky G raised her hands for photographers and revealed freshly painted nails spelling out “F**k ICE.” She sported a kissy face as she flaunted her nails.
Becky G's career and political activism
Becky G first broke into the mainstream with her English-language hit “Shower” in 2014, before going on to score massive success in Latin music. Over the years, she has leaned increasingly into Spanish-language releases, becoming one of the most recognizable crossover stars in the genre.
In a 2022 interview with USA Today, the singer said she felt empowered by the growing acceptance of Spanish music in the pop landscape.
“I really found my voice and feel probably the most confident I’ve ever felt as an artist singing Spanish music. I’m proud that Spanish music has really gone global,” she said at the time.
Her political activism dates back nearly a decade. In 2015, Becky G released the song “We Are Mexico” in response to then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s comments about Latinos and Mexican immigrants at the start of his first presidential campaign.
“Hard work, double time, overtime, two jobs, working till our heads hurt, but we ain’t never late to pay the bills,” she sings on the track.
The song debuted just days after Trump claimed Mexican immigrants were drug dealers, criminals, and r*****s.
Celebrities protest as ICE faces scrutiny
Becky G’s red-carpet protest comes as a growing number of entertainers have spoken out amid ICE’s recent immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, where agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
The deaths prompted protests across Minneapolis, with residents mourning the victims and demanding that federal agents leave the city.
Several high-profile celebrities joined the outcry on social media.
Singer Katy Perry urged her Instagram followers to write to their US senators and push back against ICE funding. Actor Pedro Pascal shared drawings of Pretti and Good on Sunday night with the text, “Pretti Good reason for a nation strike.” At the same time, Billie Eilish referred to Pretti as “a real American hero” on Instagram, according to Reuters.
Eilish also challenged other stars to weigh in. “hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? Or,” she posted.
Pascal declared, “Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and authoritarian regime. Mr Pretti and Renee Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened.”
In another post, he warned that “if Congress does nothing, this becomes normal.”
Actress and producer Jamie Lee Curtis posted images of armed federal agents with the caption “THIS IS AMERICA!” followed by a separate image of a person holding a waving American flag, captioned “I BELIEVE IN US!”
Actor Mark Ruffalo posted on Bluesky that Pretti’s shooting was a “cold-blooded murder in the streets of the USA by an occupying military gang, creating havoc. We have fought wars in other countries for less than this.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for federal agents to leave the city. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed,” Frey said.
