The 68th Annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday, Feb. 1, where music artists were recognized for their work produced over the last year or lifelong careers.
During several acceptance speeches given at the ceremony, notable musicians such as Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Kehlani and SZA made either direct or indirect claims towards United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amidst the mass deportations conducted under the Trump administration.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ‘ICE out,’” said Bad Bunny when accepting his award for Best Música Urbana Album. “We’re not savages. We’re not animals. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
Olivia Dean, who received the award for Best New Artist, mentioned her grandparent during her acceptance speech, in appreciation of their courage.
“I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” said Dean. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Both Billie Eilish and Kehlani were awarded some new hardware as well, all while standing up firmly against ICE in their speeches.
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” said Eilish.
“Together, we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now,” said Kehlani. “So instead of letting it be just a couple few, here and there, I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on.”
Receiving the award for Record of the Year alongside Kendrick Lamar, SZA took the time during her speech to encourage others not to give into hopelessness.
“Please don’t fall into despair,” said SZA. “I know that right now is a scary time…We can go on, we need each other.”
Bad Bunny pointed out that the only thing strong enough to combat hate, is love.
“The hate gets more powerful with more hate,” said the artist. “The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love…If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
For more information on the Grammy Awards and its 2026 winners, visit https://www.grammy.com/awards/68th-annual-grammy-awards-2025.
