Zach Bryan sparks controversy with new music that mentions ICE raids
Zach Bryan sparked controversy recently after sharing a clip with new music that mentions U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
The singer-songwriter, who has made a name for himself in the rock and country genres, made headlines over the weekend after sharing the clip on his official Instagram account Friday. The lyrics in the audio clip mention ICE raids, as well as the police.
"Didn't wake up dead or in jail / Some out of town boys been giving us hell / I got some bad news / I woke up missing you," Bryan sings in the short audio clip. "My friends are all degenerates, but they're all I got / The generational story of dropping the plot / I heard the cops came / cocky m-----f------, ain't they."
He continues, "ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try and build a house no one builds no more / But I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone."
The clip concludes, "The bars stopped bumpin' / The rock stopped rolling / The middle finger rising, and it won't stop showing / Got some bad news / The fading of the red, white and blue."
Echoing the final lyrics, Bryan captioned the post, "The fading of the red white and blue."
ABC News reached out to Bryan for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The new audio clip was posted as the Trump administration continues its promised immigration crackdown across the country, with ICE carrying out a series of immigration raids in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., sparking widespread backlash.
Bryan's lyrics have split the internet, with some celebrating them and others criticizing the Grammy winner and U.S. Navy veteran.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, reacted to Bryan's new audio clip on X, writing, "Stick to Pink Skies, dude," a reference to Bryan's hit song "Pink Skies," from his 2024 album "The Great American Bar Scene."
ABC News has reached out to ICE for additional comment.
