On July 30, the official White House TikTok account posted a montage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests set to "LA MuDANZA," the closing track from Bad Bunny's 2025 album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The video carried the caption: "We're making America great again."
The montage shows federal agents detaining people during operations conducted under the Trump administration. The White House did not explain whether the song choice was an intentional provocation—its Spanish title translates to "The Move"—or simply a selection from TikTok’s available music library.
Bad Bunny's Response And Background
Bad Bunny, a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico, has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policies and has warned that federal agents could target fans attending his concerts. He made his position explicit during the 2026 Grammy Awards, where he accepted Best Música Urbana Album for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Before thanking God, he told the audience:
"ICE out."
He continued:
"We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. We need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love."
The remarks received a standing ovation at the ceremony but drew criticism from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who accused the singer of attempting to demonize federal law enforcement.
Tour Decisions And On-the-Ground Concerns
Bad Bunny excluded the continental United States from his Debí Tirar Más Fotos tour, citing safety concerns that ICE agents could appear outside concerts and target attendees. He publicly condemned ICE after witnessing detentions in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in June 2025 and shared footage of that operation, denouncing the actions in Spanish.
About "LA MuDANZA"
"LA MuDANZA" recounts how Bad Bunny's parents met, traces elements of his family history and celebrates the Puerto Rican community that shaped him. The lyrics reference Puerto Rico's 1948 Gag Law, which criminalized certain displays of the Puerto Rican flag and pro-independence expression, and name educator and independence advocate Eugenio María de Hostos. The official music video emphasizes these themes through family photographs, island landscapes and political and cultural imagery tied to Puerto Rico's history.
Context And Similar Disputes
The White House's use of Bad Bunny's music follows earlier controversies in which the administration paired pop songs with immigration-enforcement videos. In June, a TikTok montage of ICE detentions used Ariana Grande's "Bye," prompting Grande to demand the administration stop using her music in connection with what she described as "barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense;" the video's audio was muted within hours. Actress-singer Sabrina Carpenter also criticized a White House montage that used her song "Juno," calling the video "evil and disgusting."
Artists and their teams have pushed back when their music is used in political or enforcement-related content. The White House has not publicly clarified how it sources or licenses the tracks used in these clips, and affected artists have sought removals or audio muting through platform channels.
