Lift Your Voices and Guitars

I saw an Internet meme a couple of weeks ago that read "You know it's a bad sign when the folk music is good again." Folklorist/musician Ceallaigh was like "Ain't that the truth?" But my Instagram feed was already full of folk songs about the ICE raids in California, Illinois, Minnesota and elsewhere, and I'm aware that social injustice and expressive culture have a well-established relationship.

After I read the meme, I started collecting those Instagram songs and went looking for more elsewhere on the Internet. I found a variety of musical responses to ICE with a variety of intended audiences, from Los Jornaleros del Norte's catchy middle finger "Le Cumbia De La Migra" to Heidi Wilson's simple but powerful "Hold On." This Special Dispatch highlights some of these musical responses and provides a bit of folkloristics to help unpack their performative contexts. I'll also be dividing them into songs of protest, satire, tribute, and solidarity in line with ethnomusicologist David King Dunway's scholarship in “Music and Politics in the United States.”^[1]

So grab your headphones. It's time to let the folk musicians tell us what they've seen.

"Le Cumbia De La Migra"

"Le Cumbia De La Migra" or "The Cumbia of the Immigration Police"

I should begin by confessing that I'm not a Spanish speaker, so my translation of "Le Cumbia De La Migra" is provided by an online service. But I thought it important to begin this Special Dispatch with the voices of Latino folk musicians, so I hope you'll take my translation with a grain of salt. If you're a Spanish speaker and see that I've made mistakes, please do write to me, and I'll correct them in the online edition of the dispatch.

"Le Cumbia De La Migra" was written by Omar León for Los Jornaleros del Norte, called "the house band for the immigrant-rights movement in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond" by The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).^[3] El Pais reporter Marisol Jiménez writes that when Pedro Pascal was filmed dancing to a live performance of the song during the No Kings protest, it went viral and resulted in a backlash from President Donald Trump's administration. León told Jiménez that "They’ve followed us, sent us hate mail. They even tried to take away the truck we play from at the protests. They wanted to scare us into stopping. But we weren’t scared." ^[4]

It's easy to see why "Le Cumbia De La Migra" got under the skin of the Trump administration. It protests the treatment of Latino immigrants in the strongest possible terms while at the same time asking that they be left alone to work, a powerful counter to the US government's assertion that Latino immigrants are "the worst of the worst". In the language of folkloristics, it's a performance of resistance to a dominant narrative, and it likely would have been ignored if not for its popularity. But the stronger a counter-hegemonic narrative is, the harder a hegemonic power will try to suppress it. That's precisely what the US government tried to do in this case.

I'm filing this one under Music of Protest.

"Join ICE"

Well, if you're looking for purpose in the current circus, 
if you're seeking respect and attention, 
if you're in need of a gig that'll help you feel big, 
come with me and put some folks in detention. 

Just last week, was kinda rough, 
I put a kid in cuffs and zip-tied a lady to a van. 
We can sneak around town hunting working folks down. 
I hear they get a great benefit plan. 

Join ICE. Boy, ain't it nice? 
Join ICE. Take my advice. 
If you're lacking control and authority, 
come with me and hunt down minorities. 
Join ICE.^[5] 

An August 21, 2025 Rolling Stone article tells us that Jesse Welles saw an ICE recruitment ad on his phone one afternoon, opened a Google doc, and "began tapping out lyrics written in the voice of a bottled-up ICE agent."^[6] The result is "Join ICE," a blistering commentary on agents who work for the Department of Homeland Security. I first heard the song performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; a minimalist guitar and harmonica tune overlaid with Welles' rough cynicism staged in front of five American flags. The audience loved him.

Folklorists care about text and context; in this case the performance itself, the audience, and the political events it describes. In addition to a live audience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York, Welles reached an extended viewing audience on television and YouTube. The magic of the Internet allows us to see how the YouTube audience reacted, and this is valuable information for for any folklorist (in this case, me) hoping to understand the broader context of the performance.

@mpj1969 writes "In this day and age and lack of self awareness Ice would probably use this as a recruitment song". @bdubb1221 quotes Bob Dylan, writing that "a good folk singer can defeat a whole army". These comments echo Welles' opinion of ICE agents as an army of thugs lacking self-awareness. Other commenters expressed the opinion that Welles was remarkable and courageous for singing as he did, among them @kaitlinruiz7249, who writes "Holy shit! He performed this on live television. Hell fucking yeah!" and @Mahrimae, who writes "The audience was as STUNNED as I was… holy mother this kid has courage".^[7]

Like "Le Cumbia De La Migra", "Join ICE" takes a stand against ICE raids. But while "Le Cumbia De La Migra" protests the treatment of Latino immigrants by telling the immigration police to fuck off, "Join ICE" is a personal attack that characterizes ICE agents as men with fragile egos failing at life. YouTube commenters who remark on Welles' courage know this sort of commentary can be dangerous, though his performance on national television, his four Grammy nominations, and his ethnic background might provide better shielding than Los Jornaleros del Norte had.

I'm filing this one under Music of Satire.

"For Renee" and "For Alex"

I didn't know you, 
but you were a poet. 
Now everyone knows it. 
They're screaming your name. 

And you played guitar. 
You hailed from Colorado. 
Two sons and a daughter. 
Now everything's changed. 

Or at least I hope it does, 
'cause something's gotta give. 
We'll never know who you were supposed to become - 
if you only had lived.^[8] 
 

I didn't know you, 
but you were a nurse, 
healing the hurt - 
down at the VA. 

You biked the mountains. 
You loved the outdoors. 
You're not here anymore, 
and everything's changed. 

Or at least I hope it does, 
'cause something's gotta give. 
We'll never know who you were supposed to become - 
if you only had lived.^[9]

Caitlin Cook posted the first verse of this song under the title "For Renee" shortly after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, and her Instagram reel carries the hashtags #renee #song #minneapolis #fuckice #lyrics. Cook sings and plays the guitar for the camera in what might be a living room, exclusively for an online audience. She posted the second verse, titled "For Alex", shortly after an ICE agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, and her Instagram reel carries the hashtags #alexpretti #protest #protestsong #ice #america. Here Caitlin Cook performs with A.J. Holmes, who sings and plays the keyboard in what might be a basement studio, again for an online audience.

The song as a whole is emotionally wrenching. Cook draws us into Renee Good's life, a woman who was a poet, hailed from Colorado, and had children. Then Cook and Holmes draw us into Alex Pretti's life, a man who worked as a nurse for the VA, biked the mountains, and loved the outdoors. Each verse ends "We'll never know who you were supposed to become \ if you only had lived". Later in each verse, Cook places her faith in Minnesotans to remember their own, singing "I didn't know you \ but I know Minnesota \ I know they will go to great lengths in your name", further humanizing the tragedy.

In the comments under "For Renee," @moundfreek writes "Beautiful tribute. I didn't know Renee, but she was my age and we grew up in the same city. Colorado Springs, America, the World......we're grieving." @sparksnsmoke writes "You said everything I haven't been able to write. I adore you even more. Thank you." In the comments under "For Alex", @jaime.l.harper writes: "How many more verses before it stops? Thank you for putting your talents into a beautiful tribute that I wish we never needed in the first place. ❤️" @emilybrunts writes "Thank you for creating something so beautiful in tribute to Renee and Alex— your music is helping me process through the pain and anger I’m feeling around this whole situation."

Both Cook and Holmes are professional musicians who work together, and both make regular use of social media to reach people who might be interested in their work. So the performances demonstrate, as folklore scholar Richard Bauman would say, a level of communicative competence.^[10] But these performances do more than entertain. They remember Renee and Alex for an audience, and they help that audience to be angry and grieve in relative privacy, which can be a gift when the emotional and political environment of a situation is so fraught. Indeed, Cook expresses a sentiment some of her commenters themselves echo when she writes "For Alex. Hate that this song has a second verse now. Fuck ICE."

Obviously, I'm filing this one under the Music of Tribute.

"Hold On"

Hold on, hold on
My dear ones, here comes the dawn
- Heidi Wilson, Plainfield, VT 2020

This is the entirety of the song "Hold On" by Heidi Wilson, who writes that:

It came to me a bunch of years ago after a teen in our community was lost to suicide. A friend organized a gathering the weekend after his death, to pull people together around a fire and surround one another with love and connection, right in front of the high school. There was a huge circle of people in the parking lot on that cold winter day- teens and parents and teachers and coaches and this is the song that came through for the day. And singing is special cause when I asked people to get closer together so we could hear one another over the wind...closer....and then closer, we all did.^[11]

In the video that accompanies her discussion of the song's origins, also available on Instagram, an unnamed woman is singing into a portable microphone on the streets of Minneapolis, leading an impromptu choir singing to the neighbourhood and to one another.^[12] Ten days later, the song was in Talybont, Wales, where a weekend workshop sang it back "in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis and beyond."^[13] Five days later it was in a New York church. The Instagram caption for the post reads "We stand with Minnesota: StandWithMinnesota.com."^[14]

In the Instagram comments for the first video, @tzippiminda writes:

I asked my local community if anyone was aware of a resistance choir and I was met with unenthusiastic responses. (Some seemed to feel it was a bit childish or ineffective.) You’re proving just how powerful song can be as a contrast to aggression and violence. You’re reminding people of the great history of song as protest. So proud of you!

In the Instagram comments for the second, @tuniemb writes:

My God, this brought tears to my eyes… that the Welsh who love song are sending a favorite song sung by people in Minneapolis in the streets way across the ocean deeply moves this proud snd weary Minnesotan, Thank you!❤️

But perhaps the most poignant comment can be found in the Instagram comments for the third, where @lamarylis writes:

I'm 75--caring for a bed ridden family member--live in NE Minneapolis, close to downtown. My heart, my head is engaged, but my obligation doesn't allow me to physically engage. This song, this video affords me the opportunity to be present 💙

I love all of these songs, but I confess this one and its many raised voices in Minnesota, New York, and Wales have the greatest impact upon me emotionally. There's something about singing "hold on, dear ones, here comes the dawn" in a room full of people that brings my grandmother's spirit and her Christian faith to mind. Grandma knew her Bible, and she might have cited Matthew 18:20 for this situation, which reads (in the New King James Version): "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." I am not a Christian, but I hope that if God is anywhere, She is in the voices of these people and their allies, raised in peaceful protest against injustice and holding on for the dawn together.

I'm filing this one under the Music of Solidarity.

I'll write again next month. Meanwhile, hold on, dear ones.

Yours in protest, satire, tribute, and solidarity,
Ceallaigh

Footnotes

1. Dunaway, David King. "Music and Politics in the United States." Folk Music Journal 5, no. 3 (1987): 268–94.
2. Radio Jornalera. Los Jornaleros Del Norte: La Cumbia de La Migra. 2025. 4:29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwhdBj3W0ME.
3. Figueroa, Palmira. "MUSIC AGAINST LA MIGRA: LOS JORNALEROS DEL NORTE STRIKE AGAIN." NDLON, September 15, 2025. https://ndlon.org/music-against-la-migra-los-jornaleros-del-norte-strike-again.
4. Jiménez, Marisol. "Los Jornaleros Del Norte Denounce Harassment: 'They’ve Followed Us, Sent Us Hate Mail.'" EL PAÍS English, October 29, 2025. https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-10-29/los-jornaleros-del-norte-denounce-harassment-theyve-followed-us-sent-us-hate-mail.html.
5. Welles, Jesse. Join Ice. 2025. 3:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61I4hlig78w.
6. Browne, David. “Can Jesse Welles Revive the Protest Song?” Rolling Stone, August 21, 2025. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jesse-welles-protest-songs-tiktok-politics-1235410873/.
7. Welles, Jesse. Join Ice. 2025. 3:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61I4hlig78w.
8. Cook, Caitlin. “For Renee.” Instagram. Accessed January 26, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/thecaitlincook/reel/DTRhQ72jc4t/.
9. Cook, Caitlin. “For Alex.” January 26, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/thecaitlincook/.
10. Bauman, Richard. Verbal Art as Performance. Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc., 1977.
11. Wilson, Heidi. “Hold On.” Patreon. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.patreon.com/posts/149021048.
12. Singing Resistance Twin Cities. “Hold On.” January 21, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DTqFjD-krw8/.
13. Bennett, Katy Rose. “Hold On.” Instagram, February 1, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/katyrosebennett/reel/DUOPfs_iBIo/.
14. Resistance Revival Chorus. “Hold On.” February 6, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DUZrrmFkdYW/.