Hayley Williams shouted anti-ICE and pro-Palestine statements during her Saturday night concert at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, and days later she made clear she has no plans to walk any of it back. The Paramore frontwoman delivered the remarks while performing her song “Ice in My OJ,” the sixth song of the night, at a venue just a 12-minute drive from the U.S./Mexico border crossing at Otay Mesa.
The comments came closer to the border than on prior stops of her tour, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which reported on the anti-ICE comments Williams made during her Saturday night show at the nearly 20,000-capacity amphitheatre. Fox News published its account of the Chula Vista remarks on October 4, before the Union-Tribune's October 6 report. “Ice in My OJ” comes from Williams's 2025 solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, and the Union-Tribune reports she has reportedly added pro-Palestine and anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement commentary to live performances of the track throughout her current tour.
Her comments were relayed to the Department of Homeland Security, which issued a statement in response. According to Fox News, which first brought the remarks to DHS for comment, the agency said that Americans are grateful for federal law enforcement officers and suggested Williams thank them instead. “We suggest Ms. Williams to thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice,” the agency said.
Williams Fires Back on Instagram
Williams was not swayed. On Monday, she said she had no intention of thanking DHS or apologizing for her remarks, and referred to the agency as “Nazi (expletive)” in an Instagram Stories post, per the Union-Tribune. The exchange marks an escalation in a back-and-forth that began onstage and spilled into social media within days.
DHS's statement to Fox News also cited broader numbers it says underscore the stakes for its officers: the agency recorded 647 assaults against ICE personnel between January 20, 2025, and September 20, 2026, compared with 37 during the corresponding period from January 20, 2021, through September 20, 2022.
A Recurring Feature of Her 2026 Tour
Fox News reports that Williams has incorporated the anti-ICE and “Free Palestine” lines into live renditions of her solo track throughout her 2026 tour dates, and Rolling Stone's live review notes the chants have been a staple in her performances since the Ego Death tour began earlier this year. Williams has also worked political commentary into other parts of her set; Billboard reports that she called Christian nationalism the greatest threat to American democracy before performing her 2025 song “True Believer,” which takes aim at White supremacy and Christian nationalism according to the Union-Tribune.
Earlier in 2026, Williams performed on the Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party Tour, Rolling Stone reports. She is also scheduled to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on October 5, 2026, and Billboard notes she is slated to headline the 2027 edition of Primavera Sound Barcelona from June 3 through June 5.
Not Her First Political Flashpoint
As Paramore's longtime frontwoman, Williams helped lead the band to two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, 2013's Paramore and 2023's This Is Why, per Billboard. This is not the first time she has used a stage to take aim at immigration enforcement or Republican politicians; during Paramore's performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2024, Fox News reports, Williams warned concertgoers about Donald Trump's presidential campaign and urged them to vote against him.
Williams's remarks also land amid a broader wave of anti-ICE activism in music. A benefit compilation titled Contra-ICE Vol. 1: ICE OUT features contributions from more than 30 artists, including Kathleen Hanna, Fred Armisen and Tom Morello, according to NPR. The compilation joins a growing body of anti-ICE protest songs that includes Bruce Springsteen's “Streets of Minneapolis,” U2's “American Obituary” and the Carlos Santana and Becky G collaboration “Mi Gran Amor,” NPR reports. Proceeds from the compilation, along with an October 3 benefit concert in Los Angeles, were designated for the immigrant-rights groups National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Unión del Barrio.
