Brandi Carlile Concert Raises More Than $600,000 for Families Affected by ICE

Grammy-winning singer Brandi Carlile turned her Minneapolis concert into a major fundraiser, raising more than $600,000 for families impacted by the recent surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents in the city.

Carlile livestreamed Be Human: A Concert for Minneapolis from the Target Center on 21 February, performing for more than 12,000 attendees. The proceeds are going to the Minnesota-based Advocates for Human Rights organization, “so that they can help and represent thousands of families who desperately need it”, the singer shared on Instagram.

Reflecting on the night, Carlile wrote, “Last night was something I’ll never forget. Minnesota is so deeply inspiring to me and the whole country. I can’t believe I got to sing for you and WITH you last night. So many people came together to celebrate your strength and conviction.”

Brandi Carlile Unites Minneapolis in Defiant $600K Fundraiser (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Capitol Records)

In addition to ticket sales and donations, Carlile raised tens of thousands more through the sale of $40 “Be Human” T-shirts, inspired by her new album Human, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The concert came in response to Operation Metro Surge, a controversial federal initiative that deployed up to 3,000 agents to Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The stated goal was to target undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds. However, reports from the ground described widespread detentions regardless of legal status, including US citizens being stopped in cars, taken from homes, and detained at workplaces. The operation triggered significant backlash and even a city-wide strike.

Tensions escalated further after two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed while monitoring ICE activities. Both were US citizens. Video footage of the incidents contradicted official claims that agents faced an imminent threat. Their deaths intensified national scrutiny, with at least eight fatalities reported across the country during recent immigration enforcement actions.

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During Saturday’s show, Carlile performed It’s OK to Change Your Mind alongside the Minnesota-based group Singing Resistance. The song called on former Trump and ICE supporters to reconsider their stance, urging them to “show us your courage, leave this behind”.

Speaking backstage to Rolling Stone, Carlile criticized the administration’s approach. “It’s very clear that this administration is not interested in legal immigration. They’re interested in violent theater. Violent theater and dominance over other people. I don’t believe most people signed up for that. Even people who voted for Trump, who I’m angry with, I don’t think they voted for this, and I do think that they can still change their minds.”

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