Swedish singer Zara Larsson has once again become the center of political and social debate after sharing a series of posts on social media in which she openly spoke out against agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service. Her messages, direct and unambiguous, quickly went viral and generated polarized reactions in a context marked by protests, allegations of state violence, and a deep divide in American society, according to the Argentine News Agency. In her first story, Larsson listed a series of positions that, in her opinion, are often stigmatized by conservative sectors: “I love immigrants, I love trans people, I love abortion, I love socialism.” “I hate ICE,” she added at the end, which was interpreted as an explicit stance against the migration policies promoted by the Donald Trump government and the actions of federal forces. The artist deepened her position in a subsequent lengthy statement, in which she harshly criticized the conduct and motivations of immigration agents. There she spoke of “toxic masculinity,” “fear of people,” and “lack of empathy,” and wondered if those who make up ICE feel satisfied “terrorizing communities and families.” Larsson linked her anger to a personal experience, where she recounted that her partner has been unable to enter the United States for almost six years due to a criminal record related to a marijuana offense. “Thousands of people go to prison for non-violent crimes,” she stated, and denounced that these policies disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities, which she pointed to as historical victims of the U.S. criminal justice system. The singer's statements came at a time of maximum tension in the United States, especially in Minnesota, where the death of activist Renee Good, shot by an ICE agent during an operation in Minneapolis, sparked a wave of national protests. In the streets of Minneapolis, protests escalated with nighttime marches, pot-banging, and clashes with state police, which declared some gatherings illegal and detained dozens of protesters. In this scenario, Larsson's stance joined that of other public figures who use their platform to question immigration policies and the role of ICE. Her words, far from going unnoticed, revived the debate on human rights, the criminalization of migration, and the use of state force in the United States.
