The Department of Homeland Security hit back at pop star Chappell Roan after she slammed ICE during a concert in Los Angeles. On Friday night, the breakout pop sensation took a moment to reflect on her journey from Missouri to California and her deep affection for the city she now calls home. 'I've been living here nine years. I'm originally from Missouri, and I had a really, really tough time the first five years,' Roan said, according to Variety, while performing at Brookside at the Rose Bowl.
The singer, known for her hit songs Good Luck, Babe! and Pink Pony Club, went on to describe how she was inspired by the resilience of Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires earlier this year. 'I'm not gonna be eloquent about this, [but] I loved LA more than ever than when I saw how the community came together in Altadena to help, same with the Palisades,' she continued. 'I just realized that I'm so lucky to be able to live here and to play here, and the city has taken care of me, and it's my duty to take care of it back.' Moments later, she declared: '[expletive] ICE forever.'
After she repeated the statement, the crowd erupted, joining in with chants against the federal immigration enforcement agency. Roan's words quickly caught the attention of Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, who responded sharply in a statement to TMZ. 'Pink Pony Club is good. [expletive] are bad. That's who we're getting off of our streets,' McLaughlin said. 'Get a grip.'
Her response came amid renewed scrutiny over U.S. immigration enforcement practices. As noted in a September report by The Guardian, government data shows that immigrants with no criminal record now make up the largest group in U.S. immigration detention, meaning the number of people without criminal histories arrested by ICE has surpassed those charged with crimes. Roan has not yet publicly responded to McLaughlin's remarks.
The Daily Mail has reached out to her representatives for comment but have not heard back at this time. Roan is among hundreds of Hollywood stars who have denounced President Donald Trump's mass deportations and ICE raids in recent months. In August, Kim Kardashian spoke out against what she described as 'inhumane' ICE tactics while advocating for families being torn apart.
'When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals -- great,' she wrote on Instagram. 'But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right.' Kardashian went on to praise immigrants as 'neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family,' adding that Los Angeles 'thrives because of their contributions.' She concluded: 'There HAS to be a BETTER way.'
Over the summer, Olivia Rodrigo, 22, also condemned the raids in a passionate social media post. 'I've lived in L.A. my whole life and I'm deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration,' she wrote. 'L.A. simply wouldn't exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy and due process is awful.' Rodrigo vowed to continue taking a stand for 'freedom of speech and the right to protest.'
Jenna Ortega also voiced her heartbreak, describing how 'people in Los Angeles are being torn away from their everyday lives and love, the ones they built so tirelessly.' She urged followers to 'listen to one another and love,' but to 'be angry too' -- emphasizing that ignoring human rights abuses is 'a privilege under abuse.' Meanwhile, Conan Gray praised immigrants as 'the backbone of America' and blasted Trump's deportation campaign as 'anti-American' and 'anti-Constitutional.'
He encouraged his followers to 'know your rights, and the rights of our immigrant friends and neighbors,' calling for continued activism and awareness. In June, Eva Longoria also slammed 'un-American' ICE deportations. 'We all can agree nobody wants criminals in our country, nobody wants [expletive], nobody wants drug dealers,nobody wants bad actors in our country - that's not what's happening,' said the Golden Globe-nominated actress.
Longoria said that Trump was overreaching in his actions, and had not stayed true to his campaign promise to deport only criminals. 'These roundups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary graduations, Home Depots - those are not criminals,' she said.