Spotify says ICE recruitment ads no longer running on its platform

Spotify is no longer running U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment advertisements on its platform following criticism from listeners and grassroots groups.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, Spotify confirmed that the ICE recruitment advertising campaign ended at the conclusion of 2025.

“There are currently no ICE ads running on Spotify,” the music streaming platform said. “The advertisements mentioned were part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms. The campaign ended on most platforms and channels, including Spotify, at the end of last year.”

The Spotify advertising campaign was part of the Trump administration’s $30 billion investment to hire 10,000 officers over the next four years. 

The initiative followed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a Republican-backed spending package passed by Congress in July 2025 that gave ICE more funding than nearly all other federal law enforcement agencies combined — $75 billion over four years.

Spotify and other online platforms ran ICE ads

Amidst the drive to hire more ICE agents, the federal agency ran advertisements on platforms such as Spotify, YouTube and Instagram. In addition to offering a $50,000 signing bonus, ICE’s advertisements on the platforms include wartime-style posters and slogans such as “America needs you.”

It is unclear if YouTube or Instagram is still running the advertisements on their platforms. USA TODAY contacted YouTube and Meta, the owner of Instagram, on Jan. 9, but has not received a response.

Why have people criticized the ICE ads?

Although ICE’s advertising campaign on Spotify ended on Dec. 31, the agency has been highly criticized after two ICE-related shootings in Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis.

The shooting on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis resulted in the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, after she was shot in the head by an ICE officer identified in court documents as Jonathan Ross.

The Jan. 8 shooting in Portland, Oregon, involved federal agents shooting and injuring Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, both of whom DHS alleges entered the country illegally and have ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Government officials in both Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, have told ICE to leave their cities and states following the shootings.

Although Spotify is no longer running ICE’s advertisements, it “does not erase the damage done, and it does not absolve Spotify and other tech companies that take government money to promote recruitment for deportation machines, Ezra Levin, the co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, a progressive movement and nonprofit organization, said in a statement to USA TODAY.

“Accountability means ensuring these ads never return, increasing transparency around government advertising and committing to policies that do not enable violence against our communities,” Levin added.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.