{"id":552120,"date":"2026-01-29T18:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/552120\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T18:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:14:12","slug":"springsteen-drops-protest-song-against-ice-raids-with-streets-of-minneapolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/552120\/","title":{"rendered":"Springsteen drops protest song against ICE raids with \u2018Streets of Minneapolis\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you (Wednesday) in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,\u201d Springsteen wrote on social media<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.\u201d<\/p>\n

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No stranger to protest music<\/a>, Springsteen made a surprise appearance <\/a>earlier this month at the Light of Day festival in New Jersey. The 76-year-old singer, who in the past has lamented factory closings, farm foreclosures, and the AIDS epidemic, dedicated his performance of “The Promised Land<\/a>” to Renee Good and denounced the \u201cheavily armed masked federal troops invading American cities and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens.\u201d Springsteen then paused at the mic. \u201cICE should get the (expletive) out of Minneapolis,\u201d he hollered.<\/p>\n

Asked about The Boss\u2019s new track, a White House spokesperson this week told reporters: \u201cThe Trump Administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities \u2014 not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.\u201d <\/p>\n

Springsteen isn\u2019t the only artist speaking up (or singing) about the mayhem being caused by ICE. Folk-rocker Billy Bragg just released \u201cCity of Heroes<\/a>,\u201d an anthem supporting the persistence of protesters in Minneapolis after the shootings of Good and Pretti. The song namechecks German pastor Martin Niem\u00f6ller, who famously remained silent in the early days of Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ghost of Martin Niem\u00f6ller\/Haunts the halls of history\/When they came for the communists\/He said, \u2018It\u2019s nothing to do with me\u2019\/When they came for the democrats\/He had nothing to say\/And when they came for the Jews\/He just looked the other way\u2026\u201d Then, in his thick English accent, Bragg sings: \u201cWhen they came for the immigrants\/I got in their face\u2026They use tear gas and pepper spray\/Against our whistles and our phones\/But in this city of heroes\/We will protect our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BillyBilly Bragg performs from the stage in Parliament Square during a protest against the State Visit of President Trump on Sept. 17, 2025, in London.Leon Neal\/Getty<\/p>\n

In a statement, Bragg said, \u201cI wrote this song as a tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis. Knowing that these trigger-happy ICE thugs operate in their midst, they are still willing to put themselves in harm\u2019s way to defend their community. Their resistance is an inspiration to us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also worth a listen: Boston\u2019s own Dropkick Murphys<\/a> released \u201cCitizen I.C.E.<\/a>\u201d; former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello\u2019s \u201cPretend You Remember Me<\/a>,\u201d which raised money for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles; Jesse Welles\u2019s \u201cJoin ICE<\/a>\u201d; Zach Bryan\u2019s \u201cBad News<\/a>\u201d; and Lucinda Williams\u2019 stellar new song, \u201cWorld\u2019s Gone Wrong<\/a>\u201a\u201d in which she sings: \u201cCome on, baby, we gotta be strong\/Dark days are getting long\/Looking for comfort in a song\/Everybody knows the world\u2019s gone wrong\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @MarkAShanahan<\/a>.<\/p>\n