The U.S. Department of Homeland Security engaged in a war of words with Cardi B, a famous rapper who made remarks opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to USA Today and others on the 12th (local time), during her ‘Little Miss Drama’ tour in Palm Desert, California the previous night, Cardi B said, “If ICE shows up at the venue, I will smash them,” drawing cheers from the audience.

Cardi B became the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Awards ‘Best Rap Album’ category in 2018, and she is a celebrity with 160 million Instagram followers. She has long supported the Democratic Party, and in a recent interview she also backed Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny for shouting “ICE out” at the Grammy Awards ceremony.

The Department of Homeland Security, on its official X account, referred to remarks by Cardi B and wrote, “If Cardi B is not drugging and robbing our agents, we might consider her conduct somewhat improved from the past.” It targeted her by bringing up crimes she committed when she worked at a strip club.

Cardi B responded directly to the Department of Homeland Security post, saying, “If you want to talk about drugs, let us talk about the case where Epstein and his friends drugged and sexually assaulted underage girls,” and, “Why do you not want to talk about the Epstein files?” Recently, the U.S. Ministry of Justice released additional investigative documents related to the underage sex offender Epstein, sending ripples through the United States as well as the United Kingdom, and U.S. President Donald Trump has not shaken off suspicions of being connected to Epstein.

Bad Bunny, who has publicly criticized immigration enforcement by ICE, is also facing criticism from the Republican Party. Representative Randy Fine (Republican, Florida) sent a letter to the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, saying there were problems with the Super Bowl halftime show by Bad Bunny, and urged a comprehensive investigation and accountability.

This year, Bad Bunny became the first to win the Grammy Awards ‘Album of the Year’ with an album entirely in Spanish. He recently took on the Super Bowl halftime show, the most popular event in the United States, staging a performance entirely in Spanish that drew attention. President Trump harshly criticized it, saying, “No one could understand it and the dancing was disgusting. The worst ever,” and pushback continued from conservative circles.