Trump Administration Uses Pop Stars' Music in ICE Arrest Videos

The U.S. government is using songs by major pop stars to promote its immigration enforcement actions. This strategy forces the artists into a difficult public position. Last week, the official X account of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted a video. It showed agents arresting people, set to a lyric from Sabrina Carpenter's song "Juno." The lyric asks, "Have you ever tried this one?" The video appeared to celebrate the arrests. It used the pop song to make light of the enforcement actions. Carpenter now faces an impossible choice. If she says nothing, she may seem to condone the use of her music. But if she objects, she brings more attention to the video. This is not the first time the Trump administration has used pop music this way. Weeks earlier, it used a Taylor Swift song in a campaign video for the president. Experts say this is a deliberate strategy. It is designed to provoke anger and generate online engagement, a tactic known as "rage-bait." For the artists, there is no good response. Both silence and protest can help spread the government's message.