By: Michaela Towfighi Published in: *The New York Times* Date: January 28, 2026 The lyrics criticize President Trump and include references to Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were fatally shot by federal agents this month.
Bruce Springsteen released a new song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” on Wednesday in response to two fatal shootings <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/politics/second-ice-shooting-minneapolis.html> by federal immigration enforcement agents in the city this month. Mr. Springsteen dedicated the song to “the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.” He said he wrote it <https://www.instagram.com/p/DUD_Dl2ETeh/> on Saturday, the same day immigration agents killed Mr. Pretti, a 37-year-old I.C.U. nurse <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/alex-jeffrey-pretti-icu-nurse-minneapolis-shooting.html> , during a confrontation. Ms. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/us/rennee-good-ice-shooting-minnesota.html> , was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The lyrics describe the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where a surge of federal agents has led to widespread protests, with people like Mr. Pretti recording confrontations with their cellphones and blowing whistles to alert others to the presence of immigration agents. “Their claim was self-defense, sir,” Springsteen sings of the Trump administration’s justification for the shootings. “Just don’t believe your eyes / It’s our blood and bones / And these whistles and phones / Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies.” Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Trump, described Mr. Pretti as an “assassin,” and Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said Ms. Good had engaged in “domestic terrorism.” Video analysis by The New York Times <https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010668660/new-video-analysis-reveals-flawed-and-fatal-decisions-in-shooting-of-pretti.html> has contradicted these descriptions. While Mr. Pretti was legally carrying a holstered gun, he never reached for the weapon <https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000010668660/new-video-analysis-reveals-flawed-and-fatal-decisions-in-shooting-of-pretti.html> and had been disarmed by agents before they shot him. Ms. Good had parked a vehicle in the street and was beginning to drive away <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/video/ice-shooting-renee-good-minneapolis-videos.html> when an agent standing near one of the front wheels shot her. In the song, Mr. Springsteen also calls Mr. Trump a “king” with a “private army.” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that “the Trump administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities — not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.” Mr. Springsteen has used his lyrics and shows to make political statements for decades. In 2000, he released “American Skin (41 Shots)” about the killing of Amadou Diallo <https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/nyregion/officers-in-bronx-fire-41-shots-and-an-unarmed-man-is-killed.html> by four New York City police officers. This month, Mr. Springsteen dedicated a performance <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/arts/music/springsteen-ice-minneapolis.html> of his song “The Promised Land,” a working-class anthem, to Ms. Good. At that performance, he likened the administration’s actions in Minneapolis to “Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens.” Mr. Springsteen has been a vocal critic of Mr. Trump across his two terms, calling him the “most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime” in an endorsement video for former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign in 2024. Last year, the singer released a six-track EP of songs and political commentary <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/arts/music/bruce-springsteen-e-street-band-ep-trump.html> from performances in Manchester, England. That release begins with remarks that the United States is “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” In response, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that Mr. Springsteen “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT” and called for a “major investigation” into the artist. Other musicians have joined Mr. Springsteen in speaking out against ICE. After Ms. Good was killed, the singer Billie Eilish reposted a graphic online that called the agency a “federally funded and supported terrorist group,” and after Mr. Pretti’s killing, she goaded her fellow celebrities, “u gonna speak up?” The singer Olivia Rodrigo called ICE’s actions “unconscionable” in a social media post. Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, announced he would hold a concert in Minneapolis on Friday, saying that the proceeds would be donated to Ms. Good’s and Mr. Pretti’s families. Last year, the rapper Bad Bunny, who is from Puerto Rico, refused to perform in the mainland United States, saying he feared that ICE would target his concerts for immigration raids. Ms. Noem has said that immigration agents will be “all over” the Super Bowl <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/arts/music/ice-bad-bunny-super-bowl.html> in California next month, when Bad Bunny is set to perform the halftime show. In October, when the country star Zach Bryan released new lyrics <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/arts/music/zach-bryan-song-kristi-noem.html>warning that ICE agents would “come bust down your door,” Ms. Noem said the song “attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.” Mr. Bryan later said the lyrics had been “misconstrued.” Michaela Towfighi is a Times arts and culture reporter and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship <https://www.nytco.com/careers/newsroom/newsroom-fellowship/> class, a program for early career journalists.
