Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is blasting the NFL for its choice of Bad Bunny as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performer—and she’s threatening to bring ICE with her.
“Well, they suck, and we’ll win, and God will bless us, and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe, and they’re so weak, we’ll fix it,” Noem told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Friday, reacting to the league’s decision to feature the Puerto Rican artist.
Noem also made it clear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be at the 2026 Super Bowl, scheduled for February in Santa Clara, California.
“There will be because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for keeping it safe, so I have the responsibility for making sure everybody goes to the Super Bowl, has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave, and that’s what America is about,” she said.
“So yeah, we’ll be all over that place, and I can. We’re going to enforce the law,” Noem added. “So I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless there are law-abiding Americans who love this country.”
Bad Bunny’s selection as the halftime headliner—despite his past criticism of U.S. immigration enforcement—has sparked backlash from right-wing commentators and MAGA influencers, who accuse the NFL of abandoning “American values.” Noem, clearly aligned with that outrage, appears eager to turn the cultural fight into federal action.
The NFL hasn’t responded publicly to Noem’s threats, but the White House addressed the controversy during a press briefing.
“As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware there’s no tangible plan for that in store right now,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday. “However, of course this administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals. We’re going to do the right thing by our country.”
But the rhetoric from DHS doesn’t stop with Noem. Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, now a DHS adviser, echoed the same message on Johnson’s show earlier in the week.
“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said.
So far, neither the NFL nor Bad Bunny has commented on the firestorm. But if Noem gets her way, the 2026 Super Bowl could be remembered for more than just football and a halftime show—it might be the most politically charged event in NFL history.
