It seems Radiohead just can’t quit the Trump orbit — and this latest clash is turning up the volume.
The legendary British rock band found itself in a heated dispute after Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a tribute video set to a choral version of the group’s 1997 song “Let Down.” The video featured images and names of Americans killed by individuals identified as being in the country illegally, accompanied by a stark message.
“Thousands of American families have been torn apart because of criminal illegal alien violence,” ICE wrote in the post. “American citizens raped and murdered by those who have no right to be in our country.” The agency added, “This is who we fight for. This is our why.”
Thousands of American families have been torn apart because of criminal illegal alien violence.
American citizens raped and murdered by those who have no right to be in our country.
This is who we fight for.
This is our why. pic.twitter.com/lKQp1lb4Q2
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) February 18, 2026
The tone of the video was somber, centered on victims and their families. But the use of “Let Down” — one of the most iconic tracks from Radiohead’s landmark album OK Computer — sparked an immediate and furious response from the band.
According to NBC News, Radiohead issued a statement demanding the video be removed and suggested potential legal action if it was not.
“We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take it down. It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don’t get to appropriate it without a fight,” the band said. The statement concluded with an explicit rebuke directed at the agency.
The Department of Homeland Security did not back down. DHS deputy assistant secretary Lauren Bis told NBC News that the agency’s focus remains on crime victims and their families.
“We fight for the Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, Katie Abraham and countless other American victims of illegal alien crime,” Bis said. “Where is the compassion for the mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters of Americans who have been brutally raped and murdered by criminal illegal aliens?”
Variety previously reported that the band objected to its song “Phantom Thread” appearing in a biographical film about former First Lady Melania Trump. In that instance, an advisor involved with the project reportedly declined to remove the track, noting he was a fan of the band.
“Let Down,” originally released in 1997, became one of the defining tracks of OK Computer, an album often hailed as one of the most influential rock records of its era. Nearly three decades later, the song has resurfaced not on alternative radio, but at the center of a political firestorm.
