Bad Bunny is set to electrify the Super Bowl LX halftime stage in Santa Clara, but his headlining gig has drawn a controversial response from the Trump administration, which plans to deploy ICE agents at the event in what it calls a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Corey Lewandowski, senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and longtime Trump ally, confirmed the move during a recent appearance on “The Benny Show,” citing the administration’s aggressive immigration policy as the reason for the operation.
“There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski made it clear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026, with orders to locate and detain individuals without legal status.
“We will find you, we will apprehend you, we will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you,” he said. “That is a very real situation under this administration, which is completely contrary to how it used to be.”
CONFIRMED: ICE will be active and on-site at Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 1, 2025
Trump Advisor Corey Lewandowski warns: there’s no place ICE won’t go to remove criminal aliens from the US, even the Super Bowl:
"There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in… pic.twitter.com/kfKlGcuR7Q
The comments come on the heels of Bad Bunny’s past criticism of ICE. The Puerto Rican rapper and global music star has long voiced concern about immigration enforcement at public events and concerts.
In a recent interview with i-D magazine, he explained why he excluded the U.S. from his latest world tour.
“There was the issue of, like, f**king ICE could be outside. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he said. “People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world.”
Bad Bunny Calls Out ICE Presence In Puerto Rico
The artist has also used social media to call out ICE activity in Puerto Rico.
In a June Instagram video, he filmed agents in unmarked SUVs and said in Spanish, “Look, those m############ are in these cars, RAV-4s. They’re here in Pontezuela. Sons of b######, instead of leaving the people alone and working there.”
Bad Bunny has built his career on championing Puerto Rican identity and advocating for marginalized groups. His outspoken stance has made him a target for critics of immigration reform.
Super Bowl LX, hosted at Levi’s Stadium in California, is expected to draw tens of millions of viewers worldwide.
But the Trump administration’s plan to leverage the event for immigration enforcement marks a significant escalation.
ICE has previously conducted raids at workplaces and community events, but targeting a nationally televised sports spectacle would be a first.
The Department of Homeland Security has not released further details about how the operation will be carried out or how many agents will be present.