The Super Bowl halftime show became a political battleground when Bad Bunny made headlines about taking the biggest stage in entertainment. The Puerto Rican superstar had previously avoided touring the United States because he feared ICE raids targeting his fans.
Now the government is promising to make those fears real.
Kristi Noem Calls NFL “So Weak” For Choosing Bad Bunny as Super Bowl Halftime Show Performer
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently appeared on the right-wing podcast The Benny Show, where she criticized the NFL’s decision to name Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer.
BREAKING: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem CONFIRMS that ICE will be at the Super Bowl and enforcing at the Bad Bunny Halftime Show.
“We’ll be all over that place. We are going to enforce the law. You shouldn’t be coming to the Super Bowl unless you are a law abiding American citizen.”… pic.twitter.com/r4GbYd4CZZ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 3, 2025
Noem’s harshest remarks were directed at the NFL itself. When asked if the league was sending a message to the Trump administration by choosing the Puerto Rican artist, Noem responded: “Well, they suck, and we’ll win, and God will bless us.”
She didn’t stop there. “They won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe,” Noem continued. “They’re so weak, we’ll fix it.”
She clarified that ICE agents will have a strong presence at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on February 8. She emphasized that her priority is ensuring everyone at the event is safe and that the government will closely monitor the stadium.
She added that people should not attend unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country, forgetting that Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen by birth and cannot be deported.
Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski kicked off the controversy earlier in the week. He said ICE would be present at the Super Bowl. He added that there is no safe haven for people in the country illegally and that authorities will find and apprehend them.
Bad Bunny Canceled U.S. Tour Over ICE Raid Fears Before Super Bowl Announcement
Bad Bunny explained in September why he skipped U.S. stops on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour. “ICE could be outside my concert,” he told i-D magazine. “It’s something we were talking about and very concerned about.”
The three-time Grammy winner said his team was very concerned about fans facing deportation threats. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none were out of hate.” “I’ve performed there many times. All of them have been successful.”
His San Juan residency No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí brought in an estimated $200 million for Puerto Rico’s economy. Instead of risking his fans’ safety, he kept the tour international. Then the NFL came calling with the Super Bowl offer.
Bad Bunny shared a video to his 49 million Instagram followers in June showing an ICE raid in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny has over 80 million monthly Spotify listeners. He’s one of the biggest superstars of this generation. The NFL knows precisely what it’s getting, and so does the Trump administration.
