At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, activists distributed 15,000 rally towels emblazoned with “ICE OUT” ahead of Super Bowl LX. The towels, which were handed out by volunteers stationed at multiple entrances.
The effort was organized by Contra-ICE, a coalition of musicians and artists, in response to Department of Homeland Security statements that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be present at the game.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) adviser Corey Lewandowski and Secretary Kristi Noem both confirmed ICE’s involvement, though NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier told reporters there were “no planned ICE enforcement activities.”
Why It Matters
The protest highlights the tension between federal immigration enforcement and cultural platforms like the Super Bowl, which attracts millions of viewers worldwide. With Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show, the towels serve as both a political statement and a cultural symbol, linking immigrant advocacy to one of America’s most-watched events. The demonstration underscores how artists and activists are leveraging visibility at major sporting events to challenge government policy.
What To Know
Volunteers positioned outside Levi’s Stadium handed out towels featuring a bunny punting a football trapped in ice, designed by Los Angeles illustrator Lalo Alcaraz. The reverse side carried the slogan “ICE OUT” and a QR code encouraging fans to raise the towels whenever referees threw penalty flags, symbolizing “collective penalty flags against ICE.”
Contra-ICE, led by musicians and artists, coordinated the effort under the initiative “Flags in the Stands.” Shasti Conrad, a group leader and Democratic National Committee vice chair, described the protest as a way to amplify immigrant voices during a cultural moment: “Any opportunity to push back is important.”
In the weeks leading up to the game, DHS officials made clear ICE would be active. Lewandowski said, “We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you.” Secretary Noem added that ICE would be “all over” the Super Bowl.
Despite DHS comments, the NFL insisted ICE would not be conducting enforcement at Levi’s Stadium. Cathy Lanier, the league’s chief security officer, stated: “There’s no planned ICE enforcement activities. We are confident of that.”
The towels doubled as art and protest, with Alcaraz’s design incorporating Puerto Rican cultural references tied to Bad Bunny’s halftime performance. The artist said, “Art has always been a way to confront hate wherever it appears. In a public space and cultural moment, the whole country is watching, images, color, and movement become a way to express love and push back against hate in plain sight.”
President Trump criticized the halftime performers, calling Bad Bunny and Green Day “a terrible choice” that “sows hatred.” Meanwhile, Green Day’s pre-game set included a direct jab at ICE agents: “Wherever you are: quit that s— job you have,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said.
What People Are Saying
Shasti Conrad, Contra-ICE leader: “The Super Bowl is one of the most powerful cultural moments in the country, where music, competition, and identity all collide. We’ve seen at the Golden Globes and the Grammys how artists like Bad Bunny are using these stages to say something bigger about who we are and what we stand for. This action builds on that momentum. Culture often leads politics, and moments like this show how people are using joy, creativity, and visibility to push back against ICE and demand a country that truly lives up to its promise to welcome immigrants.”
Lalo Alcaraz, illustrator: “This bunny on a rally towel might reach millions of people, but even if it sparks a moment of awareness in just one person, that matters. Artists, musicians, performers, and decent people from all walks of life are pushing back against the authoritarianism we are feeling in our own country. Contra-ICE is one expression of that. Through art, humor, and creativity, we are using free expression to remind people what is at stake and to show how culture itself can be a form of resistance.”
Caleb Wilson, co-founder of SoundsGood Presents: “America is at a cultural tipping point, and it’s only natural that people are speaking up at our largest cultural events. This isn’t co-opting the moment, it’s participating in it. By pairing politically relevant art with classic game-time iconography, we’re uplifting core American values while the whole country watches. Fans of the Seahawks or Patriots may want different outcomes on the field, but they all want the same thing for our communities off of it: ICE OUT.”
Bad Bunny in his Grammy speech: “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans… The only thing that’s more powerful than hate is love.”
President Donald Trump about Bad Bunny and Green Day ahead of the Super Bowl: “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
