Minneapolis, January 9, 2026 – Spotify has stopped running advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the streaming service confirmed, following the conclusion of a recruitment campaign initiated by the previous governance in late 2025. The move comes amid growing pressure from musicians and activists who objected to the platform being used to recruit deportation officers.
The streaming giant faced mounting criticism for hosting ads that aimed to recruit deportation officers.
- Spotify confirmed it is no longer running ICE advertisements.
- The ads were part of a broader U.S. government recruitment effort across multiple platforms.
- Artists like Massive Attack and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard removed their music from Spotify in protest.
- ICE reportedly planned a $100 million “wartime recruitment” media campaign.
“There are currently no ICE ads running on Spotify,” the company said in a statement. “The advertisements mentioned were part of a US government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms.” The government ads, which began appearing in April, also ran on Amazon, YouTube, Hulu, and Max, with a goal of hiring over 10,000 deportation officers by the end of 2025.
Previously, Spotify defended its decision to host the ads, stating they did not “violate our advertising policies.” In October,the company explained,”this advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television,streaming,and online channels.” Spotify also noted that users coudl provide feedback on ads using thumbs-up or thumbs-down ratings.
The end of the ad campaign occurred shortly before two separate incidents involving ICE agents and U.S. border Patrol. On Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis. The following night, U.S. Border Patrol agents shot two people in Portland, whose conditions remain unknown.
The decision also followed a letter sent on January 2 by Indivisible, a grassroots movement, to Spotify’s new CEOs, Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström. The letter, delivered on their first day in office, urged them to drop the ICE ads and commit to reviewing Spotify’s advertising policy to prohibit “government propaganda and hate-based recruitment ad campaigns.”
The controversy surrounding the ICE ads coincided with broader discontent over Spotify’s business practices. In September, Spotify founder and former CEO Daniel Ek stepped down to become executive chairman. His €600 million investment in Helsing, a military AI company, prompted UK trip-hop group Massive Attack to remove their music from Spotify in protest.
Massive Attack wasn’t alone. Australian psych-rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Canadian post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor, US indie band Deerhoof, and US singer-songwriter Kadhja Bonet also withdrew their music from the platform, citing Ek’s investment and, for some, the ICE advertisements.Many listeners also reportedly canceled their subscriptions for political reasons.
What is Spotify’s stance on controversial advertising? Spotify has maintained that its advertising policies allow for government recruitment ads as long as they don’t violate existing guidelines, but the company allows users to provide feedback on ads.
Despite the end of this particular campaign,ICE is reportedly planning a $100 million year-long media blitz for what it terms “wartime recruitment.” The campaign will target listeners of conservative radio shows, enthusiasts of gun rights and military affairs, and those interested in men’s lifestyle content. One ad reportedly asks, “Want to deport illegals with your absolute boys?” Officials also plan to partner with lifestyle influencers to promote the administration’s anti-immigration agenda.
