Olivia Rodrigo Takes A Stance Amid Anti-ICE Protests And Deportations

Olivia Rodrigo is using her voice to stand up for the community she calls home.

The pop star and activist spoke out this week as anti-ICE protests erupted across Los Angeles following a series of immigration raids that have rocked Latino communities.

The controversial operations, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have sparked fear, outrage, and a growing wave of resistance, one that Olivia Rodrigo is joining.

“I've lived in LA my whole life and I'm deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration,” Rodrigo said in a statement shared on her Instagram Stories. “LA simply wouldn't exist without immigrants."

She added, "Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful. I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”

Her statement comes amid an increasingly tense political and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Southern California.

The protests began last week after it was revealed that ICE had ramped up enforcement operations in LA, targeting areas with high Latino populations. According to BBC and CBS News, recent raids occurred in neighborhoods like Westlake and Paramount, where more than 82% of residents identify as Hispanic.

A particularly disturbing report surfaced claiming ICE agents raided a Home Depot in Paramount. While officials later told the BBC this report was false, ICE did confirm that 44 unauthorized immigrants were arrested during a single job site operation on Friday.

An additional 77 individuals were reportedly arrested across the greater LA area that same day.

The raids have stoked fear and defiance in equal measure, with demonstrators taking to the streets to condemn the tactics as aggressive, discriminatory, and inhumane.

Rodrigo’s support for immigrant communities is consistent with her broader activism.

Through her non-profit initiative, Fund 4 Good, the “vampire” singer supports community-based organizations that focus on girls’ education, reproductive rights, and gender-based violence prevention.

The fund is a global initiative committed to building a more equitable and just future for women and girls, values that clearly extend to her views on immigrant rights.

The ICE operations come as President Donald Trumpfollows through on his campaign pledge to crack down on illegal immigration. Trump has reportedly deployed 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. Marines to support federal efforts, prompting backlash from state leaders.

While the National Guard typically operates under state authority, Trump invoked a rarely used federal statute to bypass California Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming the protests amounted to “a form of rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.”

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Southern California for coordinated “No Kings Day” protests, denouncing the ICE sweeps and what many are calling authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration.

Protesters accused the president of behaving like a monarch, undermining democratic values, and targeting immigrant communities to stoke division. The streets were filled with imagery such as American, Mexican, Guatemalan, and El Salvadoran flags waved side by side, signs with crossed-out crowns referenced America’s 1776 founding ideals, and the phrase “Protest is Patriotic” echoed throughout the crowds.

“All of our rights are being violated,” Michelle Verne, who marched in downtown Los Angeles, told The LA Times. “We’ve had other administrations deport people, but not like this,” she added.

The scene offered a sharp contrast to the pageantry in Washington, D.C., where Trump’s birthday was celebrated with military concerts, exhibitions for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, and a lavish parade reportedly costing up to $45 million. As chants of “No kings” rang out across LA, the message from the streets was clear. The fight for immigrant rights is not just a political stance. It’s a defense of the very principles on which the country was founded.

As tensions continue to mount in LA and beyond, Rodrigo’s statement adds a powerful celebrity voice to a growing chorus demanding compassion, dignity, and justice for immigrant families.