Graphic illustrations by Anna Cen, Eunice Leung and Tristan Lo.

Super Bowl LIX will be the first halftime show performed entirely in Spanish, headlined by reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny.

• Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl performance will be a strong representation of Latino culture in a time when it is under attack
• While many smear him as anti-American, the reggaeton artist is from Puerto Rico, and his bilingual music is an important piece of American identity
• In retaliation, President Donald Trump plans to send ICE to the Super Bowl, which would endanger thousands of fans

Super Bowl LIX has the chance to be a breakthrough moment — the first halftime show performed entirely in Spanish, headlined by reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny. But what should be a celebration of Puerto Rican and bilingual culture is being weaponized by President Donald Trump’s Administration, which plans to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the stadium. The move, which was announced right after Bad Bunny was chosen, is an intimidation tactic toward him and the Latino community that will endanger thousands of football fans. It turns a national moment of unity into a disaster waiting to happen. 

Since Bad Bunny was headlined to perform at the Super Bowl in September, backlash against his identity has been relentless. Conservative critics, including MAGA commentator Robby Starbuck, have questioned the selection for its “un-American quality,” asking on X, “Does this guy really scream American football to anyone?” But Spanish is the second most common language in the United States, and there are more Spanish speakers here than in Spain. Let’s not forget that Puerto Rico — and its 3 million Spanish speakers —  is a territory of the U.S. The culture Bad Bunny brings to the stage is as American as any other. 

Besides, being bilingual should be a plus, not cause for controversy. Linguistic diversity is present all over the world. Only in America would journalists, commentators and the president himself be so upset over the prospect of a performer singing in Spanish. Those dismayed should open their minds to experience a culture they might not be familiar with, but that is central to this country’s character. 

“Latinos have a deeply embedded history in the United States,” University of San Francisco political science professor Marco Durazo said. “Bad Bunny sends a message that it’s okay to speak Spanish and that Latinos are part of America.”

In the Super Bowl’s 60-year history, the halftime show has been much more about cultural relevance than football itself. Bad Bunny, who made history as Spotify’s most-streamed artist globally for four consecutive years and was the platform’s top global artist in 2025, embodies the massive cross-cultural appeal of reggaeton music. He’s sold out stadiums worldwide, collaborated with artists from Drake to Cardi B, and built a fanbase of over 100 million followers who share his music despite different cultural backgrounds. 

The controversy is also entangled in politics. Bad Bunny has been critical of ICE and Donald Trump. In his 2025-26 “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” tour, he cut out stops in the U.S. out of fear that ICE would target his Latino fanbase. The history of activism he brings to the Super Bowl is not surface level, but a direct response to the policies that have harmed the people he represents. 

“Bad Bunny being a celebrity puts him in a spotlight to be able to voice his opinions,” senior and Spanish Honor Society president Alessandra Wong said. “He wouldn’t be talking about politics if there wasn’t so much controversy around ICE to begin with.”

Trump’s threats to deploy ICE agents target not just undocumented immigrants, but also sow fear among legal residents attending the Super Bowl who worry about being profiled on race alone, especially after Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that ICE agents will be “all over” Levi’s Stadium.

ICE’s presence poses a danger to both detainees and protestors. We’ve all seen what happened in Minneapolis. On Jan. 7, Renee Good, a 37-year old American citizen and mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a federal immigration operation. Alex Pretti, an American citizen who worked as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs hospital was shot and killed on January 24 by Border Patrol agents. By inviting this same volatility into a crowd of 70,000 fans, the administration is favoring a politically motivated show of force over the safety of attendees. 

“The objective of sending ICE to the Super Bowl is pure terror,” Durazo said. “It’s to terrorize blue states, and to terrorize Latino communities.” 

Ultimately, the Super Bowl will be a test of whether our country can still share moments of collective celebration, or whether this presidency’s attack on Latino culture and rule of fear through ICE has penetrated even our biggest national events. 

“People go to the Super Bowl to be entertained, and we should keep it that way,” math teacher Christopher Baugh said. “I don’t understand why immigration enforcement can’t be done somewhere else.” 

 The answer matters not just for this eventful Sunday, but for what it says about our national ability to coexist in shared public spaces. As a country that has always named sports as a common ground for unifying diverse groups of fans, we should be deeply troubled that the Super Bowl now requires weighing not which team to root for or whether the halftime show will deliver, but whether simply showing up might make you a target.