During her Tokyo Dome show on January 28, Lady Gaga brought the concert to a sudden halt for a reason no one in the crowd expected.
Sitting at her piano, the pop icon paused the setlist to address the escalating immigration enforcement crisis unfolding back home in the United States. She delivered a raw speech, condemning ICE and expressing solidarity with communities living in fear.
“I’m thinking about all of their pain and how their lives are being destroyed right in front of us,” she said during The Mayhem Ball concert.
Lady Gaga paused her Tokyo show to address ICE violence in America
“I want to take a second to talk about something significant to me,” the 39-year-old told the crowd, as her tone shifted the mood of the room instantly.
She noted that she would soon be returning to the U.S., and the thought of what awaited her there had been weighing heavily on her.
“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.
“I’m thinking about all of their pain and how their lives are being destroyed right in front of us.”
Though the concert was taking place in Japan, Gaga stressed that the moment transcended borders.
“I know we’re not in America right now,” she added, “but we are with our community, and we love you.”
Gaga’s speech came following the fatal encounter of Alex Pretti and Renee Good with ICE
During her speech, Gaga referenced Minnesota, where two fatal encounters involving ICE agents have sparked national outrage and ongoing investigations.
“When entire communities lose their sense of safety and belonging, it breaks something in all of us,” Gaga said, directly addressing the “fear” in Minnesota. “People are searching for answers on what we all should do.”
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally sh*t by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 24 during an immigration enforcement operation.
His passing came less than three weeks after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was sh*t by ICE during a separate operation in the same city.
While federal authorities claimed agents acted in self-defense, bystander footage and independent analysis have raised serious questions about those narratives.
Gaga dedicated Come to Mama to those grieving and called for accountability
Following her speech, Gaga dedicated a performance of Come to Mama from her 2016 album Joanne to those impacted by the violence.
“I’d like to dedicate this song to everyone who is suffering, to everyone who’s feeling alone and helpless,” she said. “Anyone who’s lost a loved one and is having a difficult time — an impossible time — seeing when the end will be near.”
She further issued a direct appeal to national leadership, calling for an immediate return to safety and accountability.
Gaga argued that “good people shouldn’t have to fight so hard and risk their lives for well-being and respect.”
She urged those in power to heed the public’s pleas and shift toward a more compassionate course of action.
“I hope our leaders are listening. I hope you’re listening to us asking you to change your course of action swiftly and have mercy on everyone in our country,” she stated.
Gaga shared that she wanted to leave the audience with hope.
“At a time where it doesn’t feel like it’s easy to have hope, it is my community — my friends, my family — that hold me up. So, I would like to sing a song that does have some hope in it, to try to give us a little bit tonight,” she said, before beginning the song.
Besides Gaga, several other celebrities pushed back against ICE, including Bruce Springsteen and Natalie Portman
Gaga’s speech comes amid growing opposition from high-profile celebrities to ICE’s actions.
Bruce Springsteen recently released a protest song titled Streets of Minneapolis, explicitly naming Alex Pretti and Renee Good and condemning what he called “state terror”.
Lady Gaga condemns ICE in heartfelt speech at the MAYHEM Ball in Tokyo tonight:
“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… pic.twitter.com/UmfXmZIKPy
— Gaga Daily (@gagadaily) January 29, 2026
Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Natalie Portman, Zoey Deutch, Edward Norton, and Olivia Wilde have also spoken out in recent weeks, using awards stages, film festivals, and social media to voice their outrage.
At Sundance, celebrities wore “ICE Out” pins. Portman described the agency’s actions as “the worst of the worst of humanity.”
Norton also echoed the fury, warning that “an illegal army is being mounted against U.S. citizens.”
“Mother always keeping it real,” wrote one netizen praising Gaga’s speech
