By: Gabe Woods

The 2026 Grammy Awards were held on February 1 in Los Angeles, California. This year, the biggest award show in the music industry showed a focus in not just the music, but speaking out against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics.

Following the shootings of Renee Good and Alexi Pretti in Minneapolis, protests across the country emerged. At the Grammys, major celebrities like Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Carole King wore “ICE OUT” pins in protest of the recent actions. 

Trevor Noah, the host for the past six years, made a variety of comments about both Trump and ICE throughout the duration of the show. 

“I thought it was funny,” senior Maggie Sahlbom said. “For a lot of people, what’s occurring is very negative and it makes it a little more lightweight.” 

Many acceptance speeches throughout the night centered around the recent actions of ICE. “I’m up here as a daughter of an immigrant,” British singer Olivia Dean said. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”

Controversy around Billie Eilish has taken over the internet, both for her win with “Wildflower” as song of the year and for her speech that accompanied it. Since “Wildflower” released in May 2024, viewers wondered if it should’ve been eligible for the 2026 Grammy awards. Eilish also made multiple comments against ICE in her speech, which has seen backlash from people in the audience. 

“I don’t think the speeches will have a direct influence on ICE tactics,” Sahlbom said. “I do think that it will help influence people to stand against and have a ripple effect on ICE.” 

The biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, was given to Latino artist Bad Bunny for his album “DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS.¨ He also won the award for Best Música Urbana album. 

He was announced earlier this year as the Super Bowl Halftime show. Due to his contract, he was not able to perform at the award show, but he did become a center focus with the host and awards. 

People online criticized both his Grammy win and Super Bowl performance pick. Some noted that he was not from America but rather Puerto Rico, which is a part of America. 

“I think that his wins can help with the current ICE crisis,” Sahlbom said. “I think having a person of color is very important, especially with his platform and audience.” 

Both his acceptance speeches centered around making comments against ICE, giving his speech for album of the year entirely in Spanish.

“We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens,” Bad Bunny said. “We are humans and we are Americans.”