Bad Bunny has said his decision not to play any tour dates in mainland U.S. was partly due to his fears that ICE would target fans at his concerts.
The 31-year-old pop star, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will conclude a 30 night residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan this weekend.
He chose to play the residency on his home island, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory, instead of touring the United States.
In a new interview with i-D magazine, the musician was asked whether this decision was out of a concern about the mass deportations of Latinos instigated by President Trump in recent months.
“Man, honestly, yes,” responded Ocasio. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S.”
He continued: “But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the U.S. … 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.
“But 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.”
In June, Bad Bunny shared footage of an ICE raid in Puerto Rico on his social media, blasting the officers as “motherf***ers” and “sons of b****es.”
He posted a video showing officers standing by SUVs with blue flashing lights, which he appeared to have filmed himself, on his Instagram Stories.
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He captioned the clip “ice” and could be heard saying in Spanish: “Look, those motherf***ers are in these cars, RAV-4s. They’re here in Pontezuela. Sons of b****es, instead of leaving the people alone and working there.”
Pontezuela is a suburb to the east of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan.
He was one of many celebrities to have spoken out against the mass deportation orders being carried out by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) at the behest of the Trump administration.
In a video posted to TikTok, actor and producer Eva Longoria described mass deportations as “inhumane” and “hard to watch.”
