Bad Bunny reveals he won’t be performing concerts in the United States due to fear of ICE raids

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer is one of the most wanted men in the world and has a major concert residency on his home island, which he will later take around the world. But not to the continental United States. Until now, he had never clarified the reasons for this conspicuous absence, but he’s decided to confess: it’s largely due to the raids that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, known as ICE, is carrying out indiscriminately among the Latino population, deporting thousands of people with little to no filter.

The singer revealed this during an interview with the fashion and trends magazine i-D, in a conversation published on September 10. His Puerto Rican residency, intentionally titled “I Don’t Want to Leave Here,” has been extended for three months and has injected at least $200 million into the island, according to Forbes estimates. However, in a very measured decision, he has decided not to expand that tour across the continent. Until now, he had simply said it wasn’t “necessary.” But now, he’s gone a step further. Was it because of his concern for Latinos in the United States, about mass deportations? the interviewer asks. “Honestly, yes,” he replies.

“There have been many reasons why I haven’t gone to play in the United States, and none of them have been out of hate, since I’ve performed there many times,” the singer clarifies during the interview. “All the shows have been a success. They’ve all been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos living in the United States. But, specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the United States…” he explains, referring to his island.

“People from the United States could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans from the United States could also travel here, or anywhere in the world. But there was the problem that, damn, ICE could be outside [the concert]. And that’s something we talked about and that worried us a lot.”