ICE at the Super Bowl: Trump aide says immigration agents will be present and derides Bad Bunny

The Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most coveted spots on television — in the United States, in fact, probably more than any other, drawing over 130 million viewers each year. Hence, the news that Bad Bunny will be providing the music and rhythm for the halftime show in 2026 has generated mixed, and strong, opinions. Among them, those from the U.S. government itself, which doesn’t seem too happy that the Puerto Rican artist has been invited to perform at the showpiece NFL game.

Department of Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski, who was also Donald Trump’s campaign manager in the 2016 election, said on the conservative podcast The Benny Show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be present at the game, and he also issued a warning. “There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you. So know that that is a very real situation under this administration.”

Lewandowski also expressed his displeasure with the fact that American citizen Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, alias Bad Bunny, will be performing at the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home to the San Francisco 49ers, on February 8, and criticized the NFL for the decision. “It’s so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime game,” he said.

Bad Bunny hasn’t expressed any hatred for the United States. He’s simply been critical of the system, in part because Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory, with far fewer rights than any state, and its citizens have fewer opportunities. For this reason, he has always spoken openly about the issue and supported his homeland with his massive 30-concert residency, which has brought in $300 million to the island. Furthermore, in a recent interview with i-D magazine, he clearly explained why the concerts on his world tour, which will take him from Colombia to Spain, Japan, and Belgium, will not pass through the continental United States. And, in large part, it’s out of fear of the presence of ICE and the possibility that they will persecute, detain, and deport his fans.

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times,” he explained in the interview, published a few weeks ago. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the U.S... People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of — like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

However, those explanations don’t seem to have appeased the DHS advisor, who has suggested that Bad Bunny’s presence at the event is divisive and exclusive. “I was at the Super Bowl last year with President Trump. I had the chance to be in Louisiana in his box and watch the game, and got to enjoy that,” he explained in his chat with Benny Johnson. “But listen, we should be trying to be inclusive and not exclusive. There are plenty of great bands and entertainment people out there who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.”

“I don’t care if it’s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else,” the administration advisor stated. “We’re going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe. That is a directive from the president. If you’re in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: go home.”

Bad Bunny’s decision to headline the Super Bowl halftime show has generated some controversy. Some believe the Puerto Rican artist, one of the most listened-to musicians in the world, will put on a spectacular show in the alotted 13 minutes, and in Spanish, a language spoken by some 60 million people in the United States. But others, of a more conservative leaning, believe that this very fact doesn’t make him a good representative, in addition to his decision not to perform concerts in the country for fear of immigration raids. Now the Trump administration, far from remaining neutral, has made it clear which side it’s on.

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