Bad Bunny on lack of U.S. tour dates: ‘ICE could be outside [my concert]’

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny explained why he didn’t include dates in the United States for his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” world tour, citing concerns over ICE enforcement outside his concert venues.

“There was the issue of — like f— ICE could be outside [my concert],” he said in an interview with I-D. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

The “Dtmf” singer had been asked by Suzy Exposito if the decision to exclude the U.S. from his lineup was “out of concern about [the mass deportation of] Latinos in the United States.” [Full disclosure: Exposito is also a deputy editor for the The Times’ De Los section.]

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate —I’ve performed there many times,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US … People from the U.S. could come here to see the show.”

In May, following news of his sold-out residency “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” in San Juan’s Choliseo, the 31-year-old announced dates in May for his world tour, which will kick off Nov. 21 in the Dominican Republic. However, no performances were scheduled for U.S. cities.

“Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here,” said Bad Bunny in the interview. “Or to any part of the world.”

This is not the first time that Bad Bunny has chimed in with his political views. Earlier this summer, he posted an Instagram video with commentary over ICE agents conducting a raid on the island — which have largely targeted Dominican migrants, roughly 55,000 of the population, the Associated Press estimates.

“Look, those mother— are in these cars, RAV4s. They’re here on [Avenida] Pontezuela,” he said of the officials arriving in the Puerto Rican city of Carolina, “instead of leaving the people alone and working.”

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