“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,” Springsteen said in a statement. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
In the opening lines, the legendary singer-songwriter takes aim at “King Trump” and his “private army from the DHS.” Later, Springsteen seemingly refers to ICE and Border Patrol agents as “federal thugs” who killed Alex Pretti, left to “lay in the snow, dead.”
Never one to mince words in his music, Springsteen also name drops Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller and their “dirty lies,” referencing their claims that agents fired on Good and Pretti in self-defense.
Later in the song, Springsteen says of ICE:
“Now they say they’re here to uphold the law, But they trample on our rights, If your skin is black or brown my friend, You can be questioned or deported on sight.”
The new song also features a chant of “ICE out”, as well as a promise to the people of Minneapolis,
“We’ll remember the names of those who died, On the streets of Minneapolis.”
Earlier this month, before he wrote ‘Streets of Minneapolis’, Springsteen delivered a passionate speech decrying ICE’s conduct in the state.
During an appearance in New Jersey, he told the crowd,
“If you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, send a message to this president as the mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”