3 days ago
Doechii blasts Trump, federal response amid LA protests
Hollywood is speaking out after mass protests in Los Angeles over federal immigration enforcement erupted over the weekend.
While attending the 2025 BET Awards at LA's Peacock Theater, rap star Doechii used her acceptance speech to address the controversial demonstrations.
"There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order," said Doechii, 26. "Trump is using military forces to stop a protest."
Tensions escalated June 8 after President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops on June 7, prompting backlash from public officials, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said Trump's actions "flamed the fires" and that Trump "illegally acted to federalize the National Guard."
ICE is carrying out a directive from President Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. The protests have sprung up against the sweeps the agency is carrying out in various neighborhoods.
The federal response similarly prompted backlash from celebrities, who accused the administration of inciting the very violence it claimed to be addressing. Several stars have taken to social media to share information and resources, as well as to criticize the government's response to what they called peaceful protests.
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Doechii, who won best female hip-hop artist at the BET Awards, shared her criticism of the Trump administration's response to the immigration protests in her acceptance speech.
"I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?" Doechii said.
She continued: "People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear. And I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and we protest against it."
On June 8, Billie Eilish's brother and collaborator, Finneas, posted on his Instagram story about the protests, cursing at ICE and sharing that he attended a protest and was immediately met with force.
"Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown-they're inciting this," wrote the songwriter, an LA native.
Fashion designer Jeremy Scott also took to his Instagram story June 8 to call out Trump amid the federal government's response to the protests, suggesting the president's deployment of the National Guard, without city or state officials' request, was a means to changing the narrative behind Trump's recent feud with Elon Musk.
Scott said Trump sent the National Guard to "scare peaceful protesters and make it a (national) news story. PR 101 folks."
Singer and LA native Chiquis posted an Instagram video June 9, urging protesters to remain peaceful. "Your voice is powerful–use it with purpose. Protest peacefully, stand for justice, but remember: violence dims the light of the message. Stay safe, stay strong, stay united," she captioned the post. "Burning cars, throwing rocks at cops cars, vandalizing our city is NOT going to solve this."
She followed the post on her story, sharing a video of demonstrators walking with signs earlier on Sunday, writing: "This is what you call a peaceful protest."
Singer and "Mean Girls" star Reneé Rapp took to her Instagram story to curse out ICE, the Trump administration and everyone "complicit in ensuring that this happened," calling the federal response a "disgrace."
And former "Catfish" host Kamie Crawford shared a lengthy pair of Instagram stories, expressing her sadness, exhaustion and shame for being less politically vocal as of late, but added, "immigrants are worth fighting for."
"Even if you're someone who just wants immigration reform and better checks & balances, I think we can objectively see what's going on & agree that this is not the way. This is inhumane & it's harm," she wrote. "These are our friends, our neighbors, our families, our teachers, our TAXPAYERS. These are people. This isn't right."
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
(This story was updated to include video and additional information)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doechii BET Awards speech slams Trump about LA protests
