NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Latin music star Bad Bunny said in an interview published Wednesday that he has not planned any U.S. tour dates on his latest tour because he doesn’t want Latino fans detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
In an interview with i-D, the artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, confirmed that one of the main reasons behind the absence of U.S. tour dates on his “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour” was so there was no risk his fans could be picked up by ICE agents.
“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,” he told the outlet, expressing concerns over President Donald Trump’s second-term deportation agenda.
ICE APPLICANTS SAY THEY WANT TO JOIN TRUMP’S DEPORTATION CAMPAIGN TO DELIVER ‘JUSTICE’ IN US
The remaining concerts listed on the tour are scheduled in Europe, Australia and South America. No concert in the lineup had been planned for any U.S. venues, except for multiple shows in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, in September.
He did encourage his U.S. fans to travel to the territory, or other countries, to catch his shows.
“People from the U.S. could come here to see the show,” he said. “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world.”
The singer told i-D he has been fond of touring in America, calling his shows there “successful.”
“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,” he said, adding, “I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S.”
When asked to respond to the artist’s statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson asked Fox News Digital, “Does Bad Bunny perform exclusively for criminal illegal aliens?”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDS AGE CAP FOR ICE POSITIONS IN MAJOR RECRUITMENT DRIVE
The artist has been outspoken about ICE in the past. While visiting Puerto Rico in June, Ocasio recorded and posted video of what he described as local ICE raids to social media.
“Look, those motherf——s are in these cars, RAV-4s. They’re here in Pontezuela,” he said in Spanish, mentioning ICE working on the Avenida Pontezuela in Carolina, a city east of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan.
“Sons of b——, instead of leaving the people alone and working there,” he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Ocasio publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president last year after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked during a comedy set that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.”
Ocasio shared a video backing Harris with his 45 million Instagram followers on Sunday shortly after Tony Hinchcliffe made the remarks about Puerto Rico and Latinos. A representative of the artist confirmed to The Associated Press that he is supporting Harris.
Reps for Ocasio did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital for comment.