Spotify says it is no longer running recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after a federal recruiting campaign concluded at the end of 2025 following weeks of backlash and boycott calls from advocacy groups and some musicians.
Spotify says it is no longer airing recruitment ads for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after a U.S. government advertising campaign concluded in late 2025.
In a statement cited by multiple outlets, the company said: “There are currently no ICE ads running on Spotify,” adding that the ads were “part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms.”
The campaign drew criticism in 2025 from listeners and activist groups after ICE recruitment spots appeared for users on Spotify’s ad-supported free tier. Coverage of the dispute also described similar government recruiting ads appearing on other large platforms, including Hulu, YouTube and Max.
In October 2025, Indivisible launched a campaign urging users to cancel Spotify, arguing the company was profiting from ads it characterized as promoting immigration enforcement. In a statement dated Oct. 28, 2025, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin accused Spotify of “exploiting the work of artists to line their pockets while recruiting for ICE – a secret police force that is terrorizing American communities,” and claimed Spotify was “actively amplifying the Trump regime’s drive to authoritarianism.”
Spotify, which previously defended running the ads, said in an October statement that the content did not “violate our advertising policies,” and described it as part of a broader U.S. government campaign “across television, streaming, and online channels.” The company also said users could help tailor ads by marking them with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
Indivisible later said the ads’ disappearance followed “months of public pressure.” Some musicians also publicly said they removed their music from Spotify during the broader wave of criticism and boycotts highlighted in reporting, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Deerhoof and Kadhja Bonet.
The episode underscores ongoing tensions for major tech and media platforms that sell advertising while facing political pressure over which government messages they choose to distribute.
