A Kacey Musgraves song used by the White House in a video centered around ICE deportation efforts has been muted on social media.
The Trump administration posted a TikTok that said, “criminal illegals are going back home,” overlaid with videos of people being deported. The post's caption nods to lyrics from Musgraves' song: “going back smooth.”
Now, anyone who visits the original video on TikTok will see the sound has become "unavailable."
While Musgraves has not commented publicly on the White House's video, she has become a vocal proponent of immigrants' rights in recent years and considers Mexico to be one of her home bases.
The Tennessean has reached out to Musgraves' team for comment.
jab over Texas Senate race
The video arrived only a day after Musgraves publicly fired back at Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on X.
After Democratic Texas state representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico attended Musgraves' show in Dallas on Oct. 11, he posted on X thanking the country music star.
The day after Talarico shared his post, Noem reposted the picture.
"I’ll take @ellalangleymsic over Kacey Musgraves any day. And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico,"wrote Noem.
In typical Musgraves fashion, the country singer fought fire with fire, referencing Noem's 2024 admission that she killed a dog.
"I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it," wrote Musgraves. The jab refers to a personal story from Noem's memoir a young dog that the Trump administration official from South Dakota shot and killed because she believed the dog was too aggressive.
@whitehouse Going back smooth 👋
♬ original sound - The White House
The “Golden Hour” singer has never been shy about her left-leaning politics, advocating for gun control, LGBTQ+ rights and more.
In August, Musgraves even took a moment on the opening night of her "Middle of Nowhere" tour to advocate for children affected by deportation, encouraging fans to support a nonprofit that protects the rights of immigrant children.
Performing at Chicago's United Center on Aug. 21, which was also the singer's 38th birthday, Musgraves positioned her advocacy as a birthday wish.
Musgraves highlighted the Young Center, a Chicago-based advocacy group for immigrant children.
In September, the Young Center told The Tennessean about $70,000 had come in from about 1,000 new donors after Musgraves' call to action. The number continues to climb, the nonprofit said at the time.
"Music has the power to create connection and inspire empathy. We see that firsthand through many of our volunteers, who use music as a way to build trust and connect with immigrant children they meet in detention centers," the Young Center said via email.
"When artists use their voices to uplift causes they care about, they help introduce new audiences to important issues and motivate people to take action. We're grateful to Kacey Musgraves for shining a light on the needs of immigrant children and helping more people learn about the Young Center's mission."
Audrey Gibbs is a music and culture reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com or on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kacey Musgraves song removed from White House video endorsing ICE
