Spotify have confirmed {that a} controversial ICE recruitment commercial marketing campaign on their platform has ended.
The streamer was extensively criticised for working recruitment adverts for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late 2025 as a part of President Donald Trump administration’s $30 billion funding in hiring a minimum of 10,000 extra deportation officers by the tip of the yr.
ICE is partially chargeable for finishing up Trump’s coverage for the mass detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants. There have been a number of reviews of abuse and mistreatment of detainees in ICE amenities, together with of pregnant girls and kids (by way of The Guardian). US Senator Jon Ossoff’s workplace have additionally printed knowledge displaying “a minimum of 510 situations” of bodily and sexual abuse.
This led to calls to boycott the platform, amplified by the Spotify Unwrapped marketing campaign which additionally criticised its proliferation of AI music.
In October, a spokesperson for Spotify mentioned the adverts had been compliant with the US promoting coverage and harassed that they’re “a part of a broad marketing campaign the US authorities is working throughout tv, streaming and on-line channels”.
The advert consists of the quote: “You took an oath to guard and serve, to maintain your loved ones, your metropolis, protected. However in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to face down whereas harmful illegals stroll free.”
Spotify has since confirmed that the adverts had stopped working on the platform in late 2025, following issues referring to the deadly capturing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday (January 7).
Spotify confirms that they’re now not working ICE recruitment adverts.
Final October, the corporate confronted backlash for working ICE recruitment adverts after receiving $74,000 from the Division of Homeland Safety to advertise the Trump’s plan to rent 10,000 new deportation officers by… pic.twitter.com/4M7l4HGg0K
— Selection (@Selection) January 8, 2026
Good, a prize profitable poet with a spouse and three youngsters, was killed throughout a large-scale immigration enforcement operation. She was a volunteer in a community of “neighbourhood patrols” preserving observe of ICE operations in Minneapolis and was shot in her automotive by a federal agent.
“There are at the moment no ICE adverts working on Spotify,” a Spotify spokesperson informed Selection. “The commercials talked about had been a part of a U.S. authorities recruitment marketing campaign that ran throughout all main media and platforms.”
Good’s loss of life has led to a wave of protests in opposition to ICE in Minneapolis and throughout the ICE. In the meantime, a fundraiser for her household has raised over $1.5million.
Many artists have spoken out in opposition to ICE in current months, together with Dangerous Bunny, who witnessed an ICE raid in Puerto Rico in June and later declared his world tour wouldn’t hit the US as he was afraid of ICE brokers raiding the reveals.
Olivia Rodrigo, Addison Rae and Shakira are amongst different artists to voice their opposition to ICE’s actions, and the company was not too long ago compelled to take down a propaganda video that was soundtracked by The Remedy’s ‘Friday I’m In Love’.
Lots of of artists have additionally joined a marketing campaign calling for the abolition of ICE amid widespread protests in opposition to the company, whereas Rage In opposition to The Machine’s Tom Morello additionally shared a ‘Fuck ICE’ playlist, which you’ll take a look at right here.
Extra not too long ago, Joe Keery known as out Trump for defending ICE and describing Good as “an expert agitator”. Writing on his Instagram, Keery mentioned: “Zero human decency. Cease this man”.
In different information, Spotify not too long ago spoken out in opposition to a “nefarious” activist piracy group that has scraped the library of the streaming service.
