ICE Draws Flak Over Promotional Video Featuring British Rock Band Radiohead's 'Let Down' Song: 'Not Funny, This Means....'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Radiohead, the British rock band lashed out at Trump's ICE for featuring their song without consent in a promotional video. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released a video on 19 February in which it used a version of Radiohead's song "Let Down."

Amid US President Donald Trump's hardline immigration crackdown, ICE's immigration enforcement tactics have drawn massive criticism by human rights advocates. Radiohead in a statement to media outlets said,“We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take it down. It ain't funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don't get to appropriate it without a fight,” Reuters reported.

Also Read | Maryland Sues DHS to Stop 'Massive' ICE Detention Facility Watch ICE's promotional video here:

In the video, one can hear Let Down song's soundtrack. This ICE video depicts montage of victims of violence who were attributed to illegal immigrants in the US.

According to Radiohead, the song was used without the band's permission.

Social media reaction

Reacting to this development, a user wrote, "It's less about the song and more about the implicit endorsement. artists protecting their brand is a masterclass in soft power – a subtle "no, you don't get to use my vibe."

Another user remarked, "Someone has never heard of the Streisand effect.

A third comment read,“Too bad they don't own the publishing rights to that song. It still belongs to EMI.”

A fourth user stated,“Love this! Don't understand why MAGA keeps doing this. I'm sure there are tons of musicians who would happily allow them to use their music: Jellyroll, Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Nikki Minaj. Check out their catalogs, go crazy(sic).”

A fifth user said, "So music and art in general can be political @radiohead."

A sixth user wrote,“Too bad the record label owns the rights to all their work, and will license it to anyone who pays them.”

Also Read | Who is Ellie Aghayeva? Columbia student abruptly released by ICE What is ICE?

Formed in March 2003, as a part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. This agency was created following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks for“Protecting National Security and Upholding Public Safety.”

This controversial agency became the largest and most well-funded federal law enforcement agency in US during Trump's second term following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025.

Also Read | Ex-ICE lawyer calls out agency's 'defective and broken' training; DHS hits back ICE plans to expand its detention centers

ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion to convert warehouses nationwide into immigrant detention centers, The Washington Post reported. According to documents shared with New Hampshire's governor and posted on the state's website on 12 February, ICE intends to acquire 16 buildings across the country and retrofit each to hold 1,000 to 1,500 detainees as regional processing centres.

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