Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Role Sparks GOP Outrage
Bad Bunny drew fire from Trump-aligned officials after the NFL named him the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and longtime Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski both criticized the decision and warned of immigration enforcement at the event.
Noem, speaking on “The Benny Show,” blasted the NFL’s leadership for selecting the Puerto Rican-born reggaeton star. “They suck, and we’ll win, and God will bless us, and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day,” she said. “They won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe, and they’re so weak, we’ll fix it.”
ICE Presence Threatened at Super Bowl LX
Noem confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be present at the 2026 championship, stating, “We’re going to enforce the law. So I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless there are law-abiding Americans who love this country.”
Lewandowski echoed her stance, warning undocumented immigrants to avoid the game. “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally,” he said. “Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility, and deport you.”
He also criticized the NFL’s choice of performer. “It’s so shameful they’ve decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime show,” Lewandowski said.
Bad Bunny Previously Canceled U.S. Tour Over ICE Concerns
The Grammy-winning artist, whose full name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, previously canceled his U.S. tour dates this year over concerns about potential ICE targeting of Latino concertgoers. In a September interview with i-D magazine, he said, “There was the issue of — like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Despite the criticism, Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen. Puerto Ricans have held American citizenship since 1917 under the Jones Act.
White House Walks Back ICE Operation Talk
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to temper the speculation about a formal ICE operation at the Super Bowl. “As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware there’s no tangible plan for that in store right now,” she said. However, she reinforced the administration’s stance on immigration enforcement: “This administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security added, “There is no safe haven for violent criminal illegal aliens in the United States.”
The NFL confirmed Bad Bunny’s halftime gig in late September, making him the first reggaeton artist to headline the show. Super Bowl LX is scheduled for February 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.