Cardi B beefs with Homeland Security after her ICE remarks at concert
Cardi B beefs with Homeland Security after her ICE remarks at concert
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAYThu, February 12, 2026 at 10:48 PM UTC
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Cardi B is making her stance on Immigration and Customs Enforcement as clear as she can.
Kicking off her "Little Miss Drama" tour in California's Coachella Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 11, the "Please Me" rapper quipped that concertgoers would "jump" any ICE agents if they showed up to her shows.
"I got some bear mace in the back. It's like the mafia in this," she told the crowd at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, video shared on social media shows.
The Department of Homeland Security later responded to the rapper's remarks on X, recounting comments Cardi B made in an old Instagram livestream that went viral in 2019 about previously drugging and robbing her strip-club customers.
Cardi B performs onstage during the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco on Feb. 7, 2026.
"As long as she doesn't drug and rob our agents, we'll consider that an improvement over her past behavior," Homeland Security wrote on X Thursday, Feb. 12.
Cardi B replied on X, referring to the Justice Department's gradual release of files from the investigation into the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein since December: "If we talking about drugs, let’s talk about Epstein and friends drugging underage girls to rape them. Why y'all don’t wanna talk about the Epstein files?"
According to a New York Times review published Feb 1, President Donald Trump's name, his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and other references to the president are mentioned 38,000 times across 5,300 files in the Justice Department's Jan. 30 release, though several of the files appear to be duplicates.
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Comments come after Cardi B joined Bad Bunny's halftime show
The Grammy-winning musician's remarks follow her surprise appearance in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime show on Sunday, Feb 8, as a dancer alongside several celebrities, including Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and Karol G.
From left: Pedro Pascal, Karol G and Cardi B perform onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California.
Ahead of game day, the performance was largely slammed by Republicans and Trump following comments the reggaeton star made about ICE. They also criticized his songs for being largely in Spanish. The outrage prompted an online petition to replace the Puerto Rican artist with country legend George Strait, and later, an alternative halftime hosted by conservative group Turning Point USA, which Kid Rock headlined.
Concluding his set, Bad Bunny said "God Bless America" before naming every country in North, South and Latin America, including the United States and Canada, in front of a massive billboard that read, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
1 / 0Rihanna, Cardi B, Chris Evans, more celebs who welcomed babies in 2025
Baby on board! All throughout 2025, celebrities shared joyful news that they have grown – or started – their families.Scroll through for a look at the stars who welcomed babies this year, starting with Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, who have welcomed their third child together. On Sept. 24, the Fenty Beauty mogul shared a photo of herself cradling a pink-outfitted newborn on Instagram and also revealed the baby's name. "Rocki Irish Mayers," the caption read. "Sept 13 2025 🎀." Rocki is the couple's third child, joining sons RZA Athleston Mayers, 3, and Riot Rose, 2.
After the set, Trump called the performance "absolutely terrible," "one of the worst, EVER!" and a "'slap in the face' to our Country."
"It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn't represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence," Trump wrote Sunday. "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."
Cardi B has previously condemned both Trump administrations and aligned herself with Democrats. She previously endorsed former President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cardi B tells concertgoers to 'jump' ICE, Homeland Security responds
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
