Lady Gaga Condemns ICE Actions During Tokyo Concert, Calls for "Mercy"

Lady Gaga used her platform during a recent concert in Tokyo to address pressing issues in the United States, specifically condemning the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). During the penultimate night of her Japanese ‘Mayhem Ball’ tour dates on Thursday (January 29), she spoke about unity and hope in the wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both fatally shot by ICE agents.

Good, 37, was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on January 7. Pretti, also 37, was killed on January 24. Both incidents occurred less than a mile apart. Pretti was shot 10 times in five seconds by an ICE officer. Both Good and Pretti were US citizens, and the latter had participated in protests following Good’s death.

"We need to get back to a place of safety and peace and accountability," Gaga told the audience at the Tokyo Dome.

"Good people shouldn’t have to fight so hard and risk their lives for well-being and respect. And I hope our leaders are listening; I hope you’re listening to us ask you to change your course of action swiftly and have mercy on everyone in our country."

"At a time where it doesn’t feel like it’s easy to have hope, it is my community and my friends, my family that hold me up."

Lady Gaga condemns ICE in speech during her show in Japan. pic.twitter.com/AE8VMHxaTG

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 29, 2026

Introducing ‘Joanne’ track ‘Come to Mama’ – a song about unity – she acknowledged that it was unusual to be making these comments from abroad but looked ahead to her return to the US ahead of the Grammys.

"I want to take a second to talk about something that’s extremely important to me. Something important to people all over the world and especially in America right now. In a couple of days, I’m gonna be heading home, and my heart is aching thinking about the people — the children, the families, all over America — who are being mercilessly targeted by ICE," she said to applause.

"I’m thinking about all of their pain and how their lives are being destroyed right in front of us. I’m also thinking about Minnesota and everyone back at home who is living in so much fear and searching for answers on what we all should do. When entire communities lose their sense of safety and belonging, it breaks something in all of us."

She asked the crowd to “stand with us” and said ‘Come to Mama’ would be dedicated “to everyone who is suffering, to everyone who’s feeling alone and helpless, anyone who’s lost a loved one and is having a difficult time, an impossible time, seeing when the end will be near”.
Billie Eilish

Elsewhere, Billie Eilish has urged her “fellow celebrities” to “speak up” against ICE’s actions. Her brother and collaborator, Finneas, called out conservatives’ hypocritical gun law arguments in their attempts to justify the fatal shooting of Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse.

Other artists and celebrities to have spoken out include Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Neil Young, Moby, Zara Larsson, musician and Stranger Things star Joe Keery, Spider-Man actor Yuri Lowenthal, Duran Duran, Dave Matthews and more.
Tom Morello

This past weekend, Tom Morello performed hits from Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave as he led an ICE protest show in Minneapolis. Bruce Springsteen made an unannounced appearance, debuting his new anti-ICE song ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’.

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