The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to Billie Eilish on Friday, accusing her of spreading “trash rhetoric” after she shared a post on Instagram that described Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a “federally-funded terrorist group” that “does nothing to make our cities safer.”
This repost followed the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an immigration officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday. According to DHS, the officer acted in self-defense after Good accelerated her SUV toward him while another officer commanded her to exit the vehicle.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin published a statement in a music industry magazine late on Friday, stating, “It’s clear that Billie Eilish hasn’t seen the newly released video, which supports what DHS has claimed: that this individual used her vehicle as a weapon to obstruct law enforcement and potentially harm federal officers.”
In her response, Eilish shared a video of the January 7 shooting on X, defending the officer by saying he “feared for his life” and was acting in self-defense to protect a fellow officer.
President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and several other Republicans backed the officer’s actions, labeling the incident a tragedy prompted by activists opposing the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
McLaughlin remarked, “Americans should watch this video with their own eyes and ears and judge for themselves,” as she addressed an audience in a music trade publication.
Eilish also purportedly reiterated her call to “abolish ICE” and in another post, encouraged followers to contact their congressional representatives to demand accountability for Good’s death.
Eilish’s initial post alleged that ICE as “domestic terrorists are tearing apart families, terrorizing our people, and now killing innocent people.”
In response, McLaughlin argued, “ICE does not separate families. Parents are given the option to be removed with their children. If they choose otherwise, ICE will ensure the children are placed with a legally designated guardian.” She further claimed that “due to negative discourse like Eilish’s, assaults on our courageous law enforcement have surged by 1,300%, and vehicular assaults have increased by 3,200%.”
