Billie Eilish Calls ICE a 'Federally Funded Terrorist Group' After Minneapolis Shooting

Billie Eilish has joined a growing number of artists criticizing U.S. immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, prompting a sharp response from the Department of Homeland Security.

In a series of posts shared with her millions of followers, Billie Eilish described ICE as a "federally funded and supported terrorist group" and urged Americans to contact their members of Congress to demand that the agency be defunded. She also called for the arrest and prosecution of the officer involved in the shooting and circulated a list of people who reportedly died in ICE custody last year.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to Eilish's comments through a statement to Billboard, in which Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the singer's criticism ignored newly released footage of the incident:

"Clearly, Billie Eilish has not seen the newly released footage, which corroborates what DHS has stated all along - that this individual was impeding law enforcement and weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal law enforcement"

McLaughlin added that the ICE officer, identified as Jonathan Ross, feared for his life and acted in self-defense. "The American people can watch this video with their own eyes and ears and judge for themselves," she said, rejecting claims that ICE separates families, calling such arguments "garbage rhetoric" and linking public criticism to a reported rise in assaults against federal officers.

The shooting sparked protests nationwide and renewed debate over immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, who defended the officer's actions and said Good was attempting to run agents over with her car. Among other celebrities who slammed the president was musician Joe Keery who shared a screenshot of the president's Truth Social post defending ICE and wrote over it: "Zero human decency. Stop this man."

The controversy follows earlier clashes between DHS and artists over immigration policy. In October, pop singer Chappell Roan condemned ICE during a concert in Los Angeles, prompting another rebuke from McLaughlin, who defended the agency's enforcement priorities.