Maribel Hastings
Posted February 19, 2026
Without uttering the words “ICE Out” in his Super Bowl 60 performance, it was clear that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny, was telling Donald Trump’s administration that despite its violent detentions and mass deportations, Latino culture has been rooted in this country since before it was the United States, that our contributions in various fields contribute to the greatness of this nation, and that nothing can erase that reality despite the racism and prejudice of its immigration policies.
He reminded them that America is not just the United States. It is a continent, from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, in Argentina, Central America, and the Caribbean, and those who come from that continent are also part of the fabric of this country, from newly arrived immigrants to those who have been here for generations.
“God Bless America,” said Benito, and he listed the nations that make up that America as their respective flags waved. In the background, a giant screen displayed his message, “The only thing stronger than hate is love,” and at the end, the football he threw onto the field bore a powerful message: Together We Are America.
This nation is going through a dark chapter in its history. The Trump administration’s inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants has led to violent strategies. This violence has resulted in the shooting deaths by ICE of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. It instills terror and uncertainty in cities across the country and undermines our individual freedoms and civil rights.
Latino culture has been rooted in this country since before it was the United States.
What began as a war on immigrants has become a war on anyone who opposes or questions extreme policies, whether on immigration, health care, or any other issue. In Trump and MAGA’s world, disagreement makes you an enemy. You are even more so if you look “foreign,” even as a third-, fourth-, or fifth-generation American.
This is the discrimination experienced by the misnamed minorities who together are the majority: Mexicans, Mexican Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Hispanics in general, and Puerto Ricans who, despite being US citizens since 1917, continue to be seen as foreigners and second-class citizens.
Benito can attest to this. When he was selected for the halftime show, many were up in arms because he would be singing in Spanish, even though Spanish was spoken before English in what is now the United States. Spanish colonizers arrived in Florida in 1513 and spread throughout the territory, speaking Spanish. The first English settlement was Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.
Ignorance is dangerous. Right now, Trump’s anti-immigrant crusade has humanitarian consequences. Families are separated and children—including citizen children—suffer irreparable damage. The policies also hurt our economy by detaining and deporting essential workers in hotels, restaurants, construction, hospitals, childcare, healthcare, and agriculture.
Instead of being pragmatic and legalizing this workforce that came here attracted by job opportunities, the government is persecuting and deporting workers who are not criminals. Workers who, in turn, pay taxes, mortgages, and are consumers of all kinds of products, from groceries to cars. Some businesses have closed their doors due to the loss of employees and customers, either because they were deported or because they are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being detained. It is not only undocumented immigrants but also authorized residents and citizens who live in fear.
His immigration strategy generates death, division, and hatred. In general, Americans disapprove of it. The most recent opinion polls reflect this. A PBS/NPR/Marist poll from this month shows that 65% of Americans believe ICE has gone too far. 63% believe these policies make us less safe.
But Trump and his team are pushing forward because they are motivated by prejudice and division. Bad Bunny’s halftime show, in its 13 minutes and regardless of whether you like his music or not, was a celebration of unity, love, color, and joy that contrasts with the dark, gloomy, and dystopian vision that Trump and his MAGA movement profess.
Trump said Benito’s performance was “a slap in the face to our nation.” But without a doubt, it was Bad Bunny who gave Trump and his hate promoters an elegant slap in the face.
Maribel Hastings is a Senior Advisor to América’s Voice.
- Bad Bunny and His Elegant Rebuke of the President’s Prejudice - February 19, 2026
- Public and Judicial Pushback Against President’s Extreme Immigration Policies - February 13, 2026
- After a Devastating Year, What’s Next? - January 29, 2026
