At the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, celebrities including Billie Eilish and Justin and Hailey Bieber wore black and white pin badges reading 'ICE out', a condemnation of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The pins have become a prominent red carpet accessory as stars increasingly use high-profile events to voice political opinions.
The 'ICE out' pins follow the 'Be Good' pins worn at last month's Golden Globes, a tribute to Renee Good, an unarmed US citizen shot dead by an ICE agent on 7 January, and Keith Porter Jr, killed by an off-duty ICE officer on New Year's Eve. The campaign is backed by organisations such as the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nelini Stamp, one of the organisers, said: 'We need every part of civil society to speak up. We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.' The trend has spread beyond the US, with UK sellers like Rad Badges reporting sales of 'Abolish ICE' and 'Nobody is illegal' pins.
Beadwork artist Komina Guevara, who makes 'ICE out' charms, described wearing one as 'a small, intimate protest. They offer a confidence that a lot of people are afraid of.' T-shirts with anti-ICE slogans have also gained traction, including designs inspired by Bad Bunny's Grammy speech, in which he said: 'ICE out. We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.'
Other fashion items include 'Melt the ICE' hats, knitted red caps inspired by Norwegian resistance caps from the 1940s. A yarn store in Minneapolis has raised over $650,000 for immigrant organisations through the hats. While some critics dismiss the trend as performative virtue signalling, author Betsy Greer argues that such 'craftivism' can lead to real action. 'Speaking out can be scary,' Greer said. 'But once you start talking to and learning from others also doing communal projects, it can become easier to take other steps that feel right for you.'
