Shakira Shares Harsh Truth About Immigrant Experience In United States

Shakira is speaking out against America’s treatment of immigrants, claiming that living in the U.S. as an immigrant today means “living in constant fear.”

The Colombian-born superstar, who first moved to Miami at age 19 to pursue her music career, is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the country’s ongoing immigration crisis and rising political tensions.

In a new interview with BBC News, the Grammy-winning artist reflected on her own experience as a young immigrant chasing the American dream.

“I was only 19 when I moved to the U.S., like many other Colombian immigrants who come to this country looking for a better future,” Shakira shared. “It’s painful to see how immigrants live in fear now.”

The "Hips Don’t Lie" hitmaker, now 48 and reportedly worth over $300 million, criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies and spoke out amid ongoing ICE raids and protests in cities like Los Angeles. Demonstrations have erupted nationwide in response to large-scale deportation actions, sparking riots and a wave of celebrity reactions.

Shakira, who said she taught herself English by studying Walt Whitman poetry and songs by Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, emphasized the importance of treating all people with dignity, regardless of legal status.

“Now, more than ever, we have to remain united,” she told fans in a statement that included Spanish-language remarks for her Latin American audience. “Now, more than ever, we have to raise our voices and make it very clear that a country can change its immigration policies, but the treatment of all people must always be humane.”

Her comments come just days after she was forced to cancel her third concert in three days amid record-breaking demand for her "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" tour. The same album earned her the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album, which she dedicated to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country.”

Shakira is not alone in using her platform to address the unrest.

As The Blast reported,Chrissy Teigen also spoke out earlier this month, slamming former President Donald Trump’s $45 million birthday parade, which conveniently coincided with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.

“Trump is NOT our king,” Teigen wrote on Instagram. “And on June 14th, it’s up to us to prove it.”

Calling the lavish military celebration a thinly veiled ego boost, Teigen added, “Rubbish. Trump wants a big military parade on his birthday and is using the anniversary as a pretext.”

She warned that the former president’s behavior mirrors that of authoritarian rulers, accusing him of “defying the courts, issuing arbitrary decrees, [and] disregarding checks and balances.”

As No Kings protests continue to sweep across the U.S., more and more celebrities are stepping out in support of the growing movement.

In Los Angeles, late-night host Jimmy Kimmeljoined the crowd in South Bay and later took to Instagram to praise the experience, calling it “a huge, inspiring and yes–peaceful turnout.”

Kimmel, donning a shirt that read “Make America Good Again,” shared that he met “many people who love this country and still believe it to be a force for good.”

Actor and comedian Jack Black was also spotted during a No Kings march in Los Angeles, though it remains unclear whether he was actively participating or simply passing by.

Meanwhile, stars like Anna Kendrick, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Marisa Tomei, and Kerry Washington took to Instagram to show their solidarity, posting photos of themselves holding protest signs and joining the call for democratic values and justice.

In the wake of the ongoing protests in Los Angeles, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of California’s National Guard to suppress the demonstrations. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom swiftly challenged the move, issuing a formal request for the Trump Administration to “rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command.”

The legal battle over control of the National Guard is now unfolding in the courts. A federal judge had initially ruled in Newsom’s favor, but that decision was temporarily blocked by an appeals court. A formal hearing is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the next steps.

As protests continue to spread and the national conversation heats up, stars like Shakira and Teigen are making it clear that they’re not backing down from the fight for immigrants’ rights and democratic values.