Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny has confirmed that fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting his fans led him to exclude the United States from his upcoming world tour. In an interview with i-D magazine, the three-time Grammy winner said he and his team were 'very concerned' that ICE agents might target his concerts.
The 31-year-old artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, noted that the unprecedented scale of ICE raids under the Trump administration—now aiming for at least 3,000 arrests daily—was a major factor. 'There was the issue of, like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert],' he told i-D.
Bad Bunny, who has been critical of ICE on social media, previously called agents 'sons of bitches' in an Instagram story. His decision comes amid growing alarm over immigration enforcement, including a Supreme Court ruling allowing agents to stop people in Los Angeles based on speaking Spanish or appearing Latino.
The lack of US dates on his tour, supporting the album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, has sparked speculation since its May announcement. Bad Bunny earlier told Variety that performing in the US was 'unnecessary'. He encouraged US fans to attend his residency in Puerto Rico, a US territory where he was born.
Latino gatherings across the US have been cancelled due to similar fears, including Philadelphia's Carnaval de Puebla and a Colombian independence day festival in Kansas. The tour begins 21 November in the Dominican Republic and concludes in Belgium next July.
