Billie Eilish urges celebrities to speak up amid ICE arrests and Minnesota protests

The singer spoke out, addressing the political climate in the US and silence from fellow industry figures

Billie Eilish has publicly criticised US immigration authorities and urged fellow celebrities to speak out, following the killing of Alex Pretti and subsequent protests in Minnesota.

The singer shared a series of Instagram Stories addressing the political climate in the United States and what she described as silence from influential figures. Her first post featured a photo of herself with the caption, “hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? or”. It was followed by reposts responding to apolitical stances, including one that read,"“I don’t do politics”, Ok, well you’re a fully grown adult so maybe it’s time to start.”

Eilish also reposted a longer message criticising public figures who continued promoting live shows while avoiding commentary on current events. The post stated, “24 hours and the free speech podcast comics have only posted promos about their theater and arena shows. They couldn’t even muster the courage to sneak an IG story about ICE murdering Americans for speaking out, because it might hurt the click through rate of guys named Bryson buying tix to the shirtless pu**y tour.”

Her posts followed protests in Minnesota linked to the killing of Alex Pretti, whom Eilish later described in a repost as “a real American hero”. She also shared claims that federal immigration agents are now responsible for more than 67 per cent of homicides in Minneapolis so far this year, and warned followers that “tiktok is silencing people”. Eilish additionally amplified a message from her brother Finneas addressing the situation in America.

The singer’s comments align with her recent public statements. While accepting the MLK Jr. Beloved Community Award for Environmental Justice in Atlanta, she denounced ICE and said, “we’re seeing our neighbours being kidnapped, peaceful protesters being assaulted and murdered, our civil rights being stripped.” She added that access to food and healthcare is becoming “a privilege for the wealthy instead of a basic human right.”

Eilish has increasingly linked her environmental work to migrant justice and civil rights, and has continued to use both social media and public platforms to argue that remaining silent is no longer acceptable.