Grammy-winning country star Zach Bryan posted a tease for his new song “Bad News” on Instagram, featuring lines that hint at criticism for the rise in immigration raids across the country.
Bryan uploaded a snippet that references Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday with the caption, “the fading of the red white and blue.”
In the clip, he sings, “ICE is gonna come bust down your door. Try to build a house, no one builds no more.
“Well I got a telephone, kids are all scared and all alone. The bars start bumping, the rocks start rolling, the middle finger’s rising and it won’t stop showing, got some bad news.”
He continues, “The fadin’ of a red, white, and blue. The fading of a red, white and blue.”
The 29-year-old has risen to stardom after making his debut album six years ago in a Florida Airbnb rental. Although Bryan has rejected ties to the country music industry known for its conservative fan base, some of his fans have banded together under the MAGA umbrella to criticize the new song’s lyrics.
“Didn’t know Zach was an illegal sympathizer,” one user commented, according to The Washington Post.
While a few shared outrage over the song, others commended Bryan for speaking out against raids.
“Thank you for using your talent and standing up for what’s morally correct,” an Instagram user said, the Post reported.
Currently, the comment feature on Bryan’s Instagram post is disabled.
Bryan, a U.S. Navy veteran, has kept a relatively low political profile. However, he did make statements in 2023 condemning hate against transgender people.
“I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be,” he previously wrote on his X account, which is now deleted.
“It’s a great day to be alive I thought,” he added.
His upcoming song, “Bad News,” puts those who have been subject to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown into the spotlight before a conservative base.
ICE has touted mass arrests, including 32,809 enforcement arrests in the first 50 days of the Trump administration, compared to a total of 33,242 arrests the prior fiscal year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Operations in California, Florida and Chicago have drawn national attention and pushback from protesters. Some people have reportedly been removed from their homes abruptly without warning and unclothed, according to WBEZ.
Alongside the White House’s push for mass deportations, National Guard soldiers have been sent to quell unrest in cities where protesters have gathered to reject the increased law enforcement presence.
Illinois, Oregon and California are among the three states that have sued the Trump administration, arguing the troop deployments were unlawful interventions.