Olivia Rodrigo slams ICE for music used in self-deportation video

(UNITED STATES) Olivia Rodrigo condemned the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement after her song “All-American Bitch” was used without permission in a government video urging “self-deportation,” calling the clip “racist, hateful propaganda.” In a now-deleted Instagram comment posted on November 7, 2025, Rodrigo wrote: > “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”

The video, posted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House on November 4, 2025, ran on Instagram over a montage that included ICE officers detaining people of color and scenes of supposed immigrants voluntarily leaving the United States while smiling and giving thumbs up. The caption read: “LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don’t, you will face the consequences.” The use of Rodrigo’s track “All-American Bitch” — a fan-favorite from her 2023 album — and the framing of the departures as cheerful choices drew a wave of criticism from her supporters and immigrant advocates online.

Rodrigo’s comment quickly circulated across social media after DHS deleted it, with fans praising her direct tone and her refusal to let a government agency use her work for a political message she opposes. One fan wrote, “This is what a spine looks like btw.” Her stance amplified complaints that the video treated deportation like a marketing pitch, with critics comparing the production to “movie trailers, complete with background music.”

DHS responded to the backlash by issuing a statement to The Mirror US that appeared to riff on Rodrigo’s lyrics while defending federal officers. > “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice,” the department said. The line echoed the irreverent tone and wordplay “All-American Bitch” is known for among Rodrigo’s fans, sharpening the clash between the Grammy-winning artist and the agency overseeing immigration enforcement.

The controversy thrusts a pop star into the center of a high-stakes political fight over deportations and the ethics of repurposing popular music to promote policy. Rodrigo, who is Filipino American and grew up in Los Angeles, has spoken often about her ties to immigrant communities in the city and her opposition to aggressive enforcement tactics. In June 2025, as federal arrests and removals drew steady headlines in California, she posted: > “I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration. LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful. I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”

Her willingness to push back publicly at the federal government is not new. In November 2024, Rodrigo objected when a Team Trump TikTok used her song “deja vu,” posting in the comments: > “Ew don’t use my sound ever again ty.” The clip was later removed. This week’s dispute over “All-American Bitch” extends that pattern as she confronts agencies directly linked to immigration enforcement, including ICE and DHS, and by extension the White House under President Trump.

The video drew particular fire for how it portrayed “self-deportation,” a term long used by politicians who argue that strict policies will encourage people to leave the country on their own. In the government clip, the caption’s invitation — “LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app. If you don’t, you will face the consequences” — framed departure as a simple, even upbeat choice, while threatening enforcement for those who stay. That tone, set to a pop hit, triggered debate not only about consent and artistic control but about how the state communicates life-altering decisions to families with deep roots in the United States.

Rodrigo’s post “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” was brief but stark, and her supporters seized on it as a rare example of a major artist rejecting a high-profile government message in real time. The immediate removal of her comment from the DHS account fueled additional anger online and ensured screenshots would spread even faster. Within hours, the focus widened from a single Instagram video to broader questions about who approves soundtrack choices in official communications and whether agencies can or should license songs that artists themselves view as antithetical to the message being promoted.

For DHS, the defense hinged on valorizing the officers carrying out the policy and shifting attention back to law enforcement’s role. > “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice,” the department told The Mirror US. The response sought to recast the dispute as criticism of officers rather than a fight over consent, tone, and the portrayal of immigrants. ICE did not issue a separate public statement in the material reviewed, and the department did not address whether it had obtained any licensing rights to “All-American Bitch” before using it in the Instagram post.

The agency’s push to highlight “self-deportation” through a slick video format underscored how immigration messaging has evolved on social platforms. Critics said the montage of ICE officers tackling and deporting people, followed by cheerful footage of people boarding planes, treated forced family separation and loss of livelihood as a kind of lifestyle choice. Supporters regarded it as a necessary reminder that immigration laws carry consequences and that voluntary departure can be an alternative to detention and removal. With Rodrigo’s song looping in the background, the collision of policy and pop culture magnified both reactions.

Rodrigo’s track “All-American Bitch,” known for its shifting tempos and sardonic edge, has been embraced by fans as a statement about young womanhood, pressure, and identity. The decision to use it in a deportation-themed video guaranteed attention, but it also heightened stakes for Rodrigo, who has spent the past two years defending her music from political co-option. The singer’s activism is not only rhetorical. She launched the “fund 4 good” charity and donated $2 million from her 2024 tour to support women’s nonprofits, and she publicly supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, steps that signaled her willingness to tie her public profile to causes and candidates.

The White House’s co-posting of the video on November 4, 2025 placed the administration squarely in the dispute over music rights and tone, even as DHS took the lead on messaging. The caption’s plug for the “CBP Home app” drew attention to the government’s efforts to move immigration processes onto smartphones; officials have long promoted digital tools to manage border and interior enforcement. DHS and ICE oversee a vast web of immigration operations, from workplace arrests to deportations and asylum processing, and the agencies regularly publicize enforcement actions on social media. Basic information about the department and its components is available on the Department of Homeland Security website.

While no individual deportees were named in the available coverage, the images and the promise of “consequences” if people did not depart tapped into an ongoing fear among mixed-status families and immigrant neighborhoods across Los Angeles and beyond. Rodrigo’s June statement — “LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants” — framed her opposition in local terms, reflecting the city’s history as a destination for migrants from Mexico, Central America, the Philippines, Korea, and many other countries. Her description of “violent deportations of my neighbors” made the government’s cheerful “self-deportation” montage feel especially jarring to supporters who see removal as a traumatic event rather than a tidy administrative exit.

For artists, the episode spotlights the legal and cultural gray area of popular music in government communications. Even when a license exists for a recording or composition, an artist may object to the context or implied endorsement — a tension that has flared repeatedly in U.S. politics as campaigns and officials borrow hooks and choruses to add emotional punch. Rodrigo’s earlier “Ew don’t use my sound ever again ty” to Team Trump signaled her firm boundary lines. Her latest message — “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” — leaves little doubt about where she stands, especially when the subject is immigration enforcement.

Supporters celebrated her stance as a high-profile rejection of what they view as dehumanizing messaging. “This is what a spine looks like btw,” one fan wrote, encapsulating the praise for a 22-year-old chart-topping artist willing to challenge a federal department directly. Detractors, echoing the DHS statement, argued that she should support law enforcement and avoid undermining officers who execute policies set by elected leaders. The resulting debate ensured that more people watched the video than might have otherwise, a paradox that often follows attempts to remove or mute contentious content online.

By late week, the central facts remained unchanged: the government posted a deportation-focused video on Instagram using Olivia Rodrigo’s “All-American Bitch,” the caption urged “LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app,” and Rodrigo responded with a terse, widely shared warning — > “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.” DHS, for its part, doubled down: > “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice.” The standoff turned a three-minute social post into a flashpoint over consent, culture, and the portrayal of immigrants, with a pop anthem at the center of a national argument about who gets to tell the story of leaving.