The White House posted a TikTok using Kacey Musgraves’2026 track“Mexico Honey”to soundtrack footage of handcuffed men being marched onto planes, captioned“Criminal illegals are going back home.”Two days later, the audio was muted entirely, now showing a“this sound isn’t available”message — while the video itself remained live.
“Mexico Honey”is a flirty love song off Musgraves’album Middle of Nowhere, with no obvious tie to deportation footage. It became her first solo top 40 Hot 100 hit in August, peaking at No. 39. Neither Musgraves’spokesperson nor ICE has commented on the removal.
This isn’t the first time the White House has borrowed an artist’s catalog without permission. Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo both previously condemned ICE TikToks that used their songs, and Musgraves herself has been vocal against ICE enforcement, criticizing face coverings in June 2025 and performing with the Mariachi Brothers, a group previously detained by ICE. Does muting the audio two days late count as a correction — or just a quiet admission?
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Local Lawton
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