Brandi Carlile raises $600,000 for families affected by ICE, says Trump voters have been ‘scammed’
Brandi Carlile says Trump voters have been ‘scammed’. (Getty)
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile has raised more than $600,000 for families affected by the presence of US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis.
The lesbian “Who Believes In Angels?” singer, 44, appeared at the Target Center arena in the Minnesota city on Saturday, 21 February, performing her Be Human: A Concert for Minneapolis from the Target Center show.
An estimated 12,000 people were in the audience, while the show was live-streamed online. The show has raised upwards of $600,000 for non-profit organisation The Advocates for Human Rights, a Minneapolis-based organisation that “represents people in the Upper Midwest who are seeking asylum, detained by immigration, unaccompanied children, or trafficking victims”, according to a post shared by Carlile on Instagram.
The funds raised will help fight “for the rights of immigrants and displaced people and will grant needed access to free legal representation for those in detention,” according to the Looking Out Foundation.
In a post on Instagram, the 11-time Grammy winner said that she would “never forget” the show.
“Minnesota is so deeply inspiring to me and the whole country. I can’t believe I got to sing for you and WITH you last night. So many people came together to celebrate your strength and conviction,” she wrote.
“Together we raised over $600,000 for the advocates for human rights so that they can help and represent thousands of families who desperately need it.”
Earlier this month, Carlile announced that she set up a $25,000 grant to help people detained by ICE in the city.
During the live show, Brandi Carlile performed song “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind”, aimed at those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“You can join us here anytime,” she urged in the lyrics, imploring those who voted for Trump to recognise that they had been “f****** scammed,” as she described it in an interview with Rolling Stone following the performance.
“You got f****** scammed. We’re living in a scammy time,” she said to the publication, sharing her own story of being scammed into buying a vacuum cleaner.
“That’s what people do. You can’t even pick up your phone without getting scammed. Doesn’t mean you have to double down. It doesn’t mean you have to pay for the f****** vacuum cleaner,” she continued.
“I just think there are a whole lot of people out there right now feeling duped and feeling ashamed and embarrassed. What they need to feel is angry.
“They need to get mad and change their minds. Get past the embarrassment, get past the shame that we got duped by a con artist. Get mad enough to change your mind.”
Carlile told the publication that she was on the “verge of tears the whole time” while performing in Minneapolis, which has become the centre of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The ongoing ICE operation in the city, dubbed Operation Metro Surge and declared “the largest immigration and enforcement operation ever carried out” by US officials, has been widely condemned for its aggressive tactics.
Two US citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by ICE agents in January while protesting against the operation, while dozens of US citizens and legal migrants have been targeted by the operation.
Speaking to the crowd at her show, Brandi Carlile said that it “pained” her not being in the city at the height of the unrest.
“You have been through so much… and you’ve been on my mind every second of every day. This is home to me,” she said.
During her conversation with Rolling Stone, the musician argued that Trump and his administration are “interest in violent theatre and dominance over other people” rather than legal immigration.
“I don’t believe most people signed up for that. Even people who voted for Trump, who I’m angry with, I don’t think they voted for this and I do think that they can still change their minds,” she said.
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