When the NFL announced that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the reaction was immediate and electric. The moment marked a major milestone: Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, would be the first solo Latino performer in NFL history to command one of the world’s most-watched stages. But within days, what should have been a celebration of Latin music and culture turned sharply political, as senior Trump administration officials issued warnings that have sent ripples far beyond the world of sports and entertainment.
Corey Lewandowski, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump and current adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, was the first to raise the stakes. On October 2, 2025, Lewandowski appeared on right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson’s “The Benny Show” and confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be present at the Super Bowl. "There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you. We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you. So know that that is a very real situation under this administration, which is completely contrary to what how it used to be," Lewandowski declared, as reported by MSNBC and Billboard.
The statement was blunt, even for a political era defined by sharp lines and public confrontations. For many, it was a chilling warning: the world’s biggest sporting event would double as a stage for aggressive immigration enforcement. Lewandowski’s comments underscored a new reality, one he claimed was "contrary to how it used to be"—a reference to the current administration’s approach to immigration compared to previous years.
Bad Bunny, a Grammy-winning rapper and singer from Puerto Rico (an unincorporated territory of the United States), has never shied away from political issues. In fact, his decision to headline the Super Bowl comes after years of avoiding U.S. tours, largely because of concerns about the safety of his fans. As he told i-D magazine in September, "There was the issue of — like, f-----g ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about." His team weighed the risks and, for a time, concluded it was better to stay away. Even as he agreed to perform at the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny posted on X/Twitter on September 28, 2025, that he would "do just one date in the United States," after lengthy discussions with his team.
For many Latino fans and immigrant communities, Bad Bunny’s presence at the Super Bowl was meant to be a moment of pride and recognition. Instead, the announcement of ICE’s planned presence has generated anxiety and anger. Social media exploded with reactions. Some fans, mixing outrage with dark humor, tweeted, “It would be a shame if Bad Bunny’s visa was revoked.” Others questioned the logic, asking, “Are illegals expected to attend the Super Bowl though? lol.” Yet, many voices defended Bad Bunny’s role, highlighting his impact on Latin representation at one of America’s most iconic events.
Lewandowski, however, was unrelenting in his criticism—not just of undocumented immigrants, but of the NFL’s decision to select Bad Bunny at all. "It’s so shameful they’ve decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much to represent them at the Halftime Show," he said on The Benny Show, according to Billboard. He went further: "We should be trying to be inclusive, not exclusive. There are plenty of great bands and entertainment people who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them." The implication was clear—Lewandowski saw Bad Bunny’s outspoken activism and prior reluctance to tour the U.S. as evidence that he was the wrong choice to represent the country at such a high-profile event.
The NFL, for its part, has not publicly commented on the controversy. According to MSNBC, league officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the ICE presence at Levi’s Stadium. The silence from the league has only fueled speculation about how the halftime show—and the Super Bowl itself—will unfold amid such heightened scrutiny.
This moment is not without precedent. Bad Bunny previously took the Super Bowl stage as a guest performer alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira six years ago. But this time, he’s the solo headliner—a role that brings both immense visibility and, now, political risk. The collision of entertainment, immigration enforcement, and presidential politics is unprecedented, turning Super Bowl 60 into a cultural flashpoint.
Lewandowski’s own political journey is part of the story. He managed Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was fired before Trump secured the nomination, and later lost a super PAC position in 2021 after sexual harassment allegations (which his attorney declined to address further, according to NBC News). In June 2025, Trump appointed him to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, placing him at the intersection of sports, politics, and immigration policy.
For many observers, the controversy highlights the deep divisions shaping American society. Supporters of the administration’s tough stance on immigration argue that the law must be enforced everywhere, even at the Super Bowl. They see the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny as a political statement—one they believe undermines American values. On the other hand, advocates for immigrant rights and Latinx representation view the warnings as an attack on both cultural inclusion and personal safety. They argue that the threat of ICE raids at a national event is meant to intimidate and marginalize an entire community.
As the countdown to February 8, 2026, begins, the debate is unlikely to cool. The Super Bowl has long been more than a football game; it’s a showcase of American identity, watched by millions around the globe. This year, the halftime show promises to be a lightning rod for competing visions of what—and who—belongs on the biggest stage in America.
With Bad Bunny set to make history at Levi’s Stadium, and ICE agents reportedly preparing to patrol the stands, Super Bowl 60 is shaping up to be a defining moment—not just for sports or music, but for the ongoing national conversation about immigration, identity, and what it means to be American.
