Bruce Springsteen used a New Jersey concert stage to denounce the federal immigration crackdown and honor Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman shot dead by an ICE officer, according to footage reviewed by News Of Fort Worth.
At a Glance
- Springsteen labeled ICE agents “heavily armed, masked federal troops” using “Gestapo tactics” on U.S. soil.
- He dedicated “The Promised Land” to Good, a mother of three killed during a neighborhood immigration action.
- The White House dismissed the rock star’s criticism, saying “no one cares about his bad political opinions.”
- Why it matters: The incident has intensified the clash between the Trump administration’s deportation surge and local officials demanding accountability.
Springsteen was headlining the Light of Day Winterfest at Red Bank’s Count Basie Center for the Arts on Saturday when he paused to address the crowd. Cellphone video captured by NJ.com shows the singer saying he originally wrote the 1978 track “as an ode to American possibility,” then adding that the nation’s ideals “are being tested as it has never been in modern times.”
He told concertgoers the song was for Good, who died four days earlier after ICE officer Jonathan Ross fired three rounds into her SUV. Federal authorities claim Good used the vehicle as a weapon; local leaders call the shooting an excessive, opaque act that sidelined state investigators.
Springsteen’s Message to Trump
Springsteen urged fans to send the White House a blunt directive.
> “If you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president,” he declared.
He echoed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s profane demand: “ICE should get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
The artist closed by inviting anyone who “believes in the power of the law and that no one stands above it” to back the mayor’s call for federal agents to exit the Twin Cities.
The Shooting That Sparked Outrage
Good, 43, was behind the wheel on a residential block when Ross, positioned near the driver-side corner, opened fire. Video shows her turning the wheel away from the officer moments before the shots. Ross walked off unaided; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later said he was treated for internal bleeding after being struck.
Noem branded Good’s actions “domestic terrorism.” President Trump, without evidence, called Good and her partner “professional agitators.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says the administration has blocked the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from joining the FBI probe, calling the exclusion “a threat to accountability.”
White House Fires Back
White House spokesperson Abigail Angeli issued a statement dismissing Springsteen.
> “Unfortunately for Bruce, no one cares about his bad political opinions,” she said, adding that “criminal illegal aliens should be deported” and that officers have a right to self-defense when a car is used as a deadly weapon.
The Department of Homeland Security did not reply to a Sunday request for comment.
Broader ICE Surge in Minnesota
Good’s death occurred during a week-long immigration enforcement blitz that has flooded social media with clips of forceful arrests. Protesters and federal agents have repeatedly clashed; some residents describe the scene as an “invasion.”
Attorney Antonio M. Romanucci, representing both Good’s family and her partner Becca Good, said in a release that the couple had just dropped their six-year-old at school when they stopped to observe ICE activity and “support and help their neighbors.”
Growing Chorus of Gestapo Comparisons
Springsteen joins U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, podcaster Joe Rogan and others who have likened current ICE tactics to Nazi Germany’s secret police, known for torture and unchecked power.
Key Takeaways
- A single concert moment amplified a local police-involved shooting into a national culture-war flashpoint.
- The standoff between federal and Minnesota authorities over the investigation shows no sign of easing.
- Springsteen’s explicit call for ICE to leave Minneapolis places celebrity muscle behind local Democratic leaders pressuring the administration to change course.
