Despite becoming a US citizen more than five decades ago, Gloria Estefan doesn’t feel immune to President Trump’s draconian immigration policies. In a recent installment of The Times’ “What I’ve Learnt,” the Cuban-American singer revealed that she carries her passport at all times “just in case” something were to happen.
“I carry my passport card around just in case, because who knows what can happen,” Estefan said. “I was born in Cuba — that’s why we’re so wary of what’s happening, because this is the way things happened there. The US Supreme Court ruled that you can be stopped and questioned if you’re speaking Spanish or [if] you have darker skin.”
According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents must have “reasonable suspicion” to believe a person is in the country illegally. In September, however, the US Supreme Court issued an order that paused a lower court’s injunction and allowed agents in Los Angeles to resume using factors like race, speaking Spanish, location, or occupation to meet that requirement.
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Estefan added, “It’s tough. When we’re out with the family, it’s very natural to speak Spanish. It’s weird that, all of a sudden, you’d have to fear that.”
Unwarranted ICE arrests have become a major topic of discussion in the music space after Bad Bunny was recently selected as the Super Bowl Halftime performer. Earlier this year, the artist, who is a US citizen born in Puerto Rico, said he opted out of touring the US out of fear ICE could conduct raids outside of his shows.
Bad Bunny’s selection resulted in backlash from MAGA supporters and the Trump administration itself, the latter of which confirmed ICE would have a presence at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.