RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Kali Uchis made her position on Immigration and Customs Enforcement clear during her performance at the Hinterland Music Festival in Iowa on Sunday (Aug. 2), appearing on stage in a white corset with sparkling pink lettering that slammed the agency.
In fan-captured video , the musician said that she hoped attendees feel inspired after leaving the festival, and before turning away, she moved her hair off her shoulders to show off her top. “I don’t know if you saw my shirt,” she shared before highlighting the words sparkling on her chest as fans screamed in approval. “It says ‘F–k ICE.'”
The Colombian-American singer’s outfit quickly drew attention online, where photos and videos from the festival circulated showing the rhinestone-covered message across the front of the garment. Uchis headlined at Hinterland after appearing at HARD Summer in Los Angeles during the same weekend.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which operates ICE, responded, “Who?”
Billboard has reached out to Kali Uchis’ team for comment.
The statement comes as immigration enforcement and the Trump administration’s deportation policies remain a major point of debate across the country. Uchis has previously used both her music platform and public appearances to speak about the treatment of immigrants, including ICE raids, family separation and the contributions of immigrant communities in the United States. “Without immigrants, there is no America,” she said at a Dallas show in August 2025.
In June 2025, Uchis posted a lengthy message on Instagram about her father, who immigrated to the United States from Colombia as an adult. She wrote that he arrived with a fourth-grade education after having lived on the streets as a child, then worked to build a life in the U.S., served the country for more than a decade and earned multiple degrees. “Immigrants defend and contribute to our nation,” she wrote, adding that Latinos have “in every way, built this country and make it what it is.”
“Children do not deserve to be ripped from their parents or sit alone in court awaiting their fates,” she continued. “Our people deserve human decency just like everyone else.” The post also included resources and information related to immigrant rights.
She reiterated her feelings about ICE in November 2025 during her set at Camp Flog Gnaw. “What I wanted to say is ICE is terrorizing our community,” she said in a fan-captured video , “and they need to be sentenced for their violations against human rights.”
Uchis also spoke directly about ICE in a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone ahead of her participation in the Selena for Sanctuary concert in New York. The event, organized with immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York, raised money for immigrant-rights causes. “Tearing families apart isn’t right, and ICE raids are inhumane,” Uchis told the publication. “They treat us like animals. There’s no compassion there, no humanity.”
During her 2025 Sincerely, Tour, Uchis incorporated an immigration-focused interlude into the concert production. The segment included footage of immigrants and family imagery, along with messages including “Immigrants built this country and make it what it is today” and “Without immigrants, there is no America.
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