Pop superstar Ariana Grande has publicly criticised the White House after her song “Bye” was used in a social media video promoting immigration arrests carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The controversial video, posted on the White House’s official TikTok account, showed ICE agents arresting and handcuffing individuals while Grande’s song played in the background.
The clip was accompanied by the caption: “Bye-bye. President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history.”
Grande responded directly in the comments section of the post, strongly condemning the use of her music in connection with immigration enforcement operations.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F*** ICE,” the singer wrote, according to reports.
By Friday, her comment was no longer visible on the post.
Sources close to Grande later indicated that her team was exploring possible options to have the song removed from the video, raising questions about the use of copyrighted music in political and government-related content.
The dispute quickly gained attention online, with supporters and critics debating both the White House’s use of the song and Grande’s response.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the administration’s immigration policies and rejected the singer’s criticism.
“We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens,” Jackson said.
The clash comes amid continuing controversy surrounding immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, whose administration has made border security and deportation efforts a central part of its policy agenda.
Grande has previously used her platform to speak out on social and political issues, and her latest comments place her among a growing number of artists who have objected to the use of their music in political messaging without their approval.
Whether the White House will remove the video or replace the audio remains unclear, but the incident has already sparked a wider debate about politics, immigration enforcement, and artists’ rights over how their music is used in public campaigns.
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