Bruce Springsteen Slams ‘Gestapo Tactics,’ Demands ICE Leave Minneapolis

Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen delivered an impassioned condemnation of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement during a surprise 75-minute performance Saturday night at the Light of Day benefit concert in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Springsteen dedicated his 1978 anthem “The Promised Land” to Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and American citizen who was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on January 7. The singer slammed the administration’s “gestapo tactics” and echoed Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s call for ICE agents to leave the city, telling the sold-out crowd of approximately 1,500 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts that “ICE should get the f*** out of Minneapolis,” according to video viewed from the concert.

Newsweek reached out to ICE and Springsteen’s publicist via email on Sunday for comment.

Why It Matters

Springsteen’s remarks represent his most explicit political statement since his European tour with the E Street Band concluded last summer, where he criticized President Donald Trump’s administration as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”

Trump later responded to Springsteen’s overseas comments, writing on Truth Social: “I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK … This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.”

Frey as well as many prominent Democrats, rejected Trump administration claims that Ross was acting in self-defense, pointing to viral footage of the incident, and slamming the shooting as “reckless.” Frey addressed the shooting at a press conference, telling reporters that ICE should, “Get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”

What To Know

Springsteen prefaced his remarks by hoping not to be “out of order” and disrupt the benefit concert’s convivial atmosphere, according to NJ.com. He explained that “The Promised Land” was written “as an ode to American possibility” celebrating “both the beautiful but flawed country that we are, and to the country that we could be.”

“If you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading American cities and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president,” Springsteen said, drawing cheers and applause from the audience.

The Department of Homeland Security has brought thousands of federal officers to the Twin Cities this month, prompting daily protests from residents. According to a report from The Washington Post, the Pentagon has also ordered approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers from Alaska’s 11th Airborne Division to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota should Trump invoke the rarely-used 19th century Insurrection Act, two defense officials told the outlet.

Frey told CNN’s State of the Union host Jake Tapper on Sunday that deploying active-duty soldiers would be “ridiculous” and “completely unconstitutional,” emphasizing that protests have remained peaceful. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the state’s National Guard, though no units have been deployed to the streets.

Other performers also addressed politics during the event. Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner urged the crowd to be “tough and compassionate at the same f***ing time,” while Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik told fans, “We are living in interesting times and that doesn’t mean that they’re good, but that does mean we have each other.” Rzeznik later made a joke after making a performance mistake, saying “I’m worried ICE is gonna kick down my door and send me back to Poland.” The American-born citizen of Polish descent drew loud laughs from the crowd, according to NJ.com.

What People Are Saying

Bruce Springsteen at Light of Day benefit concert on Saturday: “If you believe in democracy, in liberty, if you believe that truth still matters, that it’s worth speaking out, that it is worth fighting for, if you believe in the power of the law and no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading American cities and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president, and as the mayor of that city has said, ‘ICE should get the f*** out of Minneapolis!”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on CNN’s State of the Union that ICE is: “Clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis. Here’s the thing, we are not going to be intimidated.”

He continued: “If the goal here is safety, we’ve got many mechanisms to achieve safety. The best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents, and in this case military, in Minneapolis. Right now, we have about 600 police officers, and they’ve got about 3,000 or so ICE agents and border control.”