Bruce Springsteen takes aim at ICE with new protest song Streets of Minneapolis
Music News | 29th Jan, 2026
Music and protest have always gone hand in hand. Long before playlists and streaming stats, people used songs as a way to push back, to tell their stories, and to stand up without throwing a punch. From the Vietnam War protests to the Civil Rights Movement, artists like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, and Nina Simone turned guitars and pianos into tools of resistance, helping shine a light on injustice and the treatment of those with the least power.
Fast forward to now, and that tradition is very much alive. At a moment of deep unrest and division in the US, Bruce Springsteen has dropped a new protest song, Streets of Minneapolis, aimed directly at what he’s called state terror
tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city.
The track was sparked by the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge in January 2026. In a time when history seems to be rewritten in real time, Springsteen’s song lands as both a reaction and a reminder — a musical snapshot of a moment many see as tragic and deeply troubling.
Renee Nicole Good was a 37-year-old poet, writer, and mother of three who had recently moved to Minneapolis from Missouri. She was fatally shot by an ICE agent while in her vehicle on January 7th, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security and President Trump labeled her a domestic terrorist,
claiming she weaponised her vehicle
and tried to run over federal agents. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey didn’t mince words, calling that version of events bullshit
. Video analysis by the New York Times and ABC News suggested Good was actually turning her wheel away from agents when she was shot.
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, also 37, was an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital and a lawful gun owner. On January 24th, 2026, he was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection agents while observing an immigration raid near a doughnut shop. Pretti was acting as a legal observer, filming with his phone. After stepping in to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground, he was pepper-sprayed, tackled, and pinned. While restrained, a Border Patrol agent and a CBP officer fired roughly ten shots in about five seconds. He was hit multiple times, including in the back and chest.
According to reports, Springsteen wrote Streets of Minneapolis over a single weekend and recorded it just one day before releasing it. He also spoke out from the stage in New Jersey, comparing federal actions in Minneapolis to Gestapo tactics
and bluntly calling for ICE to get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.
True to form, the Boss doesn’t pull any punches. The song takes direct aim at the Trump administration, referring to federal agents as King Trump’s private army,
and even name-checks Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and Secretary Kristi Noem.
The White House wasn’t impressed. A Trump administration spokesperson brushed off the track as random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information,
saying their focus remains on removing what they call dangerous criminal illegal aliens.
Trump himself fired back on social media, calling Springsteen highly overrated
and an obnoxious jerk,
and telling him to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT
.
Streets of Minneapolis is another reminder that protest music is far from dead — and that Bruce Springsteen, decades into his career, is still ready to step into the fire when he feels something needs to be said.
Check out Streets of Minneapolis
- Bruce Springsteen Official Youtube.
