Olivia Rodrigo slams ICE as ‘barbaric’, says she’s ‘sad’ to be in the US

Olivia Rodrigo is reaffirming her position on ICE, which carries out mass deportations and aggressive raids under the Donald Trump administration.

In her cover story for Dazed, published Thursday, June 4, the pop star began by saying that she believes “part of being an artist is sharing your feelings with other people,” which she believes should also include your political beliefs. “I don’t have a degree in political science. I’m not the most educated person on the planet, but I try to stay informed and share how I feel,” she said.

Rodrigo went on to recall what she was doing when she first learned that the Department of Homeland Security had used one of her songs, “All American Bitch,” as the soundtrack for a video praising ICE on social media last year. “I was just scrolling on my phone,” she told the publication. “Seeing that propaganda made me very anxious, but knowing that my song was included made me even more angry.”

The moment led to one of her most outspoken statements, with the singer commenting on a Department of Homeland Security video in November, “Please never use my songs to promote racist and hateful propaganda.”

Months later, the department responded in a statement to Billboard: “We suggest that Mr. Rodrigo not belittle their sacrifice, but rather appreciate their service.”

But Rodrigo stands his ground. “What they’re doing is so awful, barbaric and brutal,” she told Dazed. “It’s really sad that we’re in a country that thinks that’s okay.”

In response to Rodrigo’s recent comments, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Billboard, “America is always grateful to our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We encourage Rodrigo to not downplay their sacrifices, but instead to thank them for their service.”

The interview was conducted ahead of the Grammy Award winner’s third studio album, You She’m Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, released on June 12th. The first two singles, “Drop Dead” and “The Cure”, debuted at No. 1 and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Check out Rodrigo on the cover of Dazed and photos from the shoot below.