On Sunday, as ICE agents began their descent on Charlotte, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino posted a video on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, with a familiar soundtrack.
The video features Petey Pablo's 2001 hit "Raise Up" played over footage of federal agents traveling to the city and making arrests.
Pablo confirmed he did not authorize the use of his song in the video.
"I have my legal team on it as we speak," he said in a statement. "They do not have my permission and I think it is appalling, especially what they're doing to children."
This is not the first time that musicians have taken action against the Trump administration for what they call unauthorized use of their music. Earlier this year, ICE used Jess Glynne's 2015 song "Hold My Hand" in a video of people being deported.
Last month, Kenny Loggins asked the administration to remove his hit "Danger Zone" from an AI-generated video of the president dumping brown sludge on protestors.
Pablo is a native of Greenville, North Carolina, and "Raise Up" has become a local anthem since its release. It's regularly performed at UNC football games and in 2018 the Carolina Hurricanes made it their official song.
In 2024 "Raise Up" was played as the North Carolina delegates announced the state's votes for Kamala Harris at the Democratic Nation Convention. Earlier this year Democratic Senators proposed a bill to officially make "Raise Up" the state song.
