John Leguizamo has decided that neutrality is no longer an option, at least when it comes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In a short but emphatic Instagram video posted Wednesday, the actor drew an unmistakable line, telling anyone who supports ICE to stay away from his work entirely. Don’t follow him, don’t attend his shows, and don’t watch his movies, he said, punctuating the message with a caption calling to “Abolish ICE.”
The declaration was met with the predictable split reaction that now seems to accompany nearly every celebrity foray into politics. Supporters rushed in to praise Leguizamo for what they viewed as moral clarity, applauding his willingness to alienate part of his audience in service of a cause.
Others were far less impressed, responding with sarcasm or indifference and questioning both his cultural relevance and the impact of his ultimatum. The comment section quickly became a microcosm of the broader national debate, with applause and mockery competing for attention.
Leguizamo’s remarks did not appear in a vacuum. They arrived amid heightened tensions following fatal confrontations involving federal law enforcement and anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, incidents that have prompted an outpouring of commentary from Hollywood figures.
In recent days, actors and entertainers have increasingly used interviews and social media to frame immigration enforcement as emblematic of a deeper moral crisis in the country. For many of them, ICE has become a symbolic stand-in for broader grievances with the Trump administration and federal authority.
Natalie Portman, speaking at Sundance, described current federal actions as “the worst of the worst of humanity,” while Glenn Close released an emotional video condemning what she characterized as cruelty and corruption under the current administration.
These statements were sweeping, charged, and aimed less at policy specifics than at the moral posture of the moment. In contrast, voices like Dean Cain’s have gone the other direction, openly supporting ICE and pushing back on the idea that enforcement itself is inherently immoral.
What makes Leguizamo’s stance notable is not simply that he criticized ICE, but that he framed his position as an exclusionary test of allegiance. In doing so, he treated fandom not as appreciation for art, but as an extension of political identity. That approach reflects a broader cultural shift, where entertainment, politics, and personal virtue are increasingly fused, and where disagreement is often met not with debate but with disinvitation.
Whether such declarations actually move public opinion is an open question. History suggests that celebrity ultimatums tend to energize those who already agree while hardening opposition among those who do not. In Leguizamo’s case, the message was unmistakable: support for a federal law enforcement agency is incompatible with enjoying his work.
