The singer Bruce Spirngsteen has released a protest song in honour of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the two Minneapolis resident killed by immigration enforcement officers.
Mr Springsteen said he wrote the track “in response to the state terror” in the city.
Bruce Springsteen performs during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia
REUTERS
He said in a post on social media: “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis.
“It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”
The song praises Minnesotans for resisting “smoke and rubber bullets” and using “whistles and phones” against “Miller and Noem’s dirty lies”.
A chorus joins him on the line “ICE out now!”, adding to the singer’s discography of political songs.
The release adds to Mr Springsteen’s long history of political engagement, particularly his outspoken opposition to Donald Trump.
In recent performances, he has criticised federal immigration enforcement and used his platform to call attention to what he sees as moral failures in current leadership.
Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement march through the streets of downtown Minneapolis
AFP via Getty Images
The Guardian reported that during a show in London in October 2016 before Mr Trump became president, he said: “It’s a terrible thing that’s happening in the States. He’s undermining the entire democratic tradition.”
Following Pretti’s shooting, Noem said Pretti had brandished a gun and Miller called him an “assassin” who tried to murder federal agents. Both claims were disproved by bystander videos.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Mr Trump’s administration was “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.”
