American singer Bruce Springsteen has released a new protest song, ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, criticising U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s crackdown on immigrants.

The four-minute, 35-second track accompanied a black-and-white cover art showing protesters holding placards with the inscription ‘ICE out’. 

ICE operatives have been cracking down on immigrants in Minneapolis to arrest and deport people who are in the country without legal permission. 

This operation has involved large raids, hundreds of arrests and, in some cases, deadly confrontations between agents and civilians.

Explaining the motivation behind the song on Instagram on Thursday, Mr Springsteen said, “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis.”

He added that the song was dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, whom he described as “our innocent immigrant neighbours”, and to Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were killed during recent confrontations involving ICE agents.

The songwriter opens the song by portraying federal immigration agents as an occupying force, referring to them as “King Trump’s private army from the DHS”, describing raids, fear in immigrant communities and the heavy presence of armed officers on city streets.

The chorus centres on a repeated chant of “ICE out now”, echoing protest slogans and reinforcing the track’s message as both a tribute and a call for resistance. 

Fans and listeners praised the artiste  for using his voice to raise awareness about the challenges immigrants face.