Protesters across the United States have adopted whistles as a tool to alert communities to the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, sparking backlash from conservative commentators who have labelled the devices as 'violent weapons' and 'hearing-loss-causing machines'.
The whistle has become a symbol of resistance against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, with activists using short bursts to signal ICE presence and long, repeated patterns to indicate detentions. Groups like Hands Off NYC have distributed thousands of whistles, and cities including Chicago, New York, and Portland have held 'whistle parties' to hand them out.
Right-wing figures have condemned the practice. Steven Crowder claimed women using whistles at the scene of Alex Pretti's killing in Minneapolis 'committed assault against the officers'. Mike Cernovich argued whistles 'should be considered a violent weapon', while Megyn Kelly suggested their use contributed to Pretti's death and called for them to be banned under noise ordinances.
The controversy escalated when musician Justin Vernon of Bon Iver wore a whistle to the Grammy Awards, stating it represented 'all the observers in Minneapolis' warning neighbours of danger. Lawmakers including Rashida Tlaib have also used whistles in Congress to protest against ICE, which Tlaib described as 'built on violence and racism'.
