‘I love this country’: Zach Bryan addresses backlash from song with ICE lyrics

Country star Zach Bryan has responded to controversy sparked by his forthcoming song “Bad News,” which contains lyrics critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions around the country.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, who served in the U.S. Navy, posted on his Instagram Tuesday lamenting the polarized response to the song, which has yet to be released in full but a clip of which he posted online.

 “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a——, just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else,” Bryan said.

“To see how much s— it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared,” he added.

Bryan shared a clip of the song over the weekend, including a caption that said “the fading of the red, white and blue.”

“I heard the cops came / cocky m—–f——, ain’t they,” Bryan sings in the clip of “Bad News,” which he posted to his Instagram. “ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try and build a house no one builds no more / But I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone.”

The song sparked a range of reactions as controversy over ICE raids around the country swirls. It also comes as federal officials say ICE agents are operating in a heightened threat environment and face attacks and harassment as they carry out President Trump’s mass deportation plan.

“Stick to ‘Pink Skies,’ dude,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement in response to a request for comment about the new song, referring to Bryan’s 2024 hit single.

When asked for comment on the ICE lyrics at a media briefing in Portland, Oregon, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem responded that she’s not a fan.

“Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today,” she said. “That makes me very happy that I never gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle.”

“I hope Zach Bryan understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has stood up and fought for our freedoms,” Noem told podcast host Benny Johnson. “He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.”

The DHS also used Bryan’s 2020 hit song, “Revival,” in a promotional video posted on Instagram Tuesday afternoon showing ICE agents detaining people. It’s not known if the song’s use in the video was licensed.

Bryan said in his statement on Instagram that he wrote “Bad News” months ago and posted a “snippet” of the song.

“This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media,” Bryan further said in his Instagram post Tuesday.

“This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle,” Bryan continued. “Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”