Springsteen wrote and recorded the track in two days in response to the ICE shootings in Minneapolis
Bruce Springsteen has released a new song in response to the state of unrest in Minneapolis. The Boss has penned hard-edged response to the wave of federal immigration raids and street clashes in Minneapolis—and to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two local residents whose deaths have become rallying points for the city’s anti-ICE movement. Springsteen framed the track as a dedication “to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” and described it as an answer to what he called a climate of “state terror” surrounding the raids.
In subject matter, “Streets of Minneapolis” reads like a street-level dispatch: Springsteen sings about a city in winter—then pivots to a portrait of masked federal forces and residents who respond with organized, civilian resistance. Reuters’ description matches what you hear in the track: Springsteen spotlights neighbors who follow agents, record operations on phones, confront officers, and use “whistles and phones” as a form of nonviolent counter-power, even as authorities deploy smoke and rubber bullets. The chorus is built around a chant—“ICE out now!”—and the record ends by folding in the sound of protest call-and-response, underlining that he’s not just writing about the demonstrations; he’s sampling their language and cadence as part of the song’s DNA.
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free, Bruce Springsteen
The writing is intentionally blunt—Springsteen names top administration figures (including Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) and accuses them of spreading “dirty lies,” while casting immigration enforcement as an occupying force (“King Trump’s private army,” as one widely quoted line puts it). The verses stitch together images of winter streets, boots, guns, and broken glass with the mechanics of modern protest—phones up, crowds moving, chants echoing—before landing on a memorializing refrain promising that the dead will not be forgotten.
The Minneapolis events behind the song are recent and raw. Renee Good, 37, a mother of three, was killed on January 7, 2026, shot by an ICE officer after hitting another agent with her car while attempting to flee an escalating confrontation; Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse, was killed on January 24, 2026, shot by federal officers during an immigration operation while allegedly resisting arrest. In both cases, law enforcement initially justified the shootings by portraying the victims as threats—claims that, according to multiple reports, were undermined by bystander video that spread rapidly online. The killings intensified street protests and a wider political crisis: reporting describes heavy federal presence, continued raids (sometimes described as more targeted after backlash), arrests of alleged “rioters,” and a standoff between the White House and local leadership, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reiterating that city police would not enforce federal immigration law.
In 2023, Bruce appeared on the new song from fellow New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem, “History Books.” It is the title track of the band’s forthcoming studio album. The music video for the song is out now.
“When Bruce Springsteen said I should write a duet for us, I think my head exploded,” says frontman The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon. “It will never get old to me that one of the greatest songwriters in the world, and one of my hero’s voices, will forever be captured in a song I wrote at a small wooden desk, in October, in New Jersey.”
Springsteen and The E Street Band’s most recent studio album, 2020’s Letter To You (Columbia Records), marked their first time recording live together in decades and debuted at No. 1 in eleven countries. In November 0f 2022, Bruce released Only The Strong Survive via Columbia Records. The covers outing is a collection of fifteen soul music classics. Featuring lead vocals by Springsteen, Only The Strong Survive celebrates soul music gems from the legendary catalogues of Motown, Gamble and Huff, Stax and many more. This 21st studio album from Bruce Springsteen will also feature guest vocals by Sam Moore, as well as contributions from The E Street Horns, full string arrangements by Rob Mathes, and backing vocals by Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton.
Only The Strong Survive was tracked at Thrill Hill Recording in New Jersey, produced by Ron Aniello, engineered by Rob Lebret and executive produced by Jon Landau.