Rapper Ice-T defended changing lyrics from his 1992 song “Cop Killer” to “ICE Killer” during a Los Angeles concert last year, saying it was a protest Wednesday federal immigration enforcement.

The rapper said the lyric change occurred during a July show amid increased federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.

The song “Cop Killer” was released by Ice-T’s metal band Body Count in the early 1990s and sparked backlash from law enforcement groups and even then-President George H.W. Bush for its anti-police message.

Ice-T calls turning to ‘ICE Killer’ a form of protest but warns anyone Violence against federal agents could escalate tensions across the country.

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Rapper Ice-T performs on stage during the first day of his Warped Tour at Shoreline Beachfront in Long Beach, California on July 26, 2025.

“I think we’re heading to some really ugly places,” Ice-T said on “The Breakfast Club” radio show.

“I think once someone shoots an ICE agent, things are going to get really bad,” he added.

“ICE was active there. So, like, I was in the middle of an ICE raid and stuff like that, and I was in front of an audience in Los Angeles and it just came out. I didn’t know that I was (going to) do that,” Ice-T said of his Warped Tour performance last July.

“‘ICE killer,’ ‘cop killer,’ This is really a protest. I was just protesting,” the rapper later added.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Ice-T will be released on November 25, 2025 at the Roxy Cinema in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Papoose/Wynn Records)

Immigration enforcement has sparked heightened tensions across the country, especially in Minneapolis. Two Americans were killed A separate shooting involving federal agents occurred there. Both cases remain under investigation, and the Trump administration has claimed both shootings were justified, while critics say they were wrongfully killed.

Tensions with ICE grew following his death earlier this month Renee Nicole Goode during a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The shooting sparked weeks of violent protests in the city.

That incident, along with another Border Patrol shooting this week of Alex Pretty, remain under investigation by federal authorities.

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A protester confronts Department of Homeland Security officers during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis on January 11 after ICE agents shot and killed them. (Mustafa Basim/Anadolu, Getty Images)

Although Ice-T stated that changing the lyrics was a personal protest, he criticized Celebrities who have spoken on the issue Promote it.

“Don’t let your publicist tell you, ‘Talk about this.’ Because if you’re not educated enough to talk about it, you’re going to end up stuck there,” he said.

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Ice-T has been outspoken in his opposition to ICE. TMZ reports “Stand strong and stay out of the way. These cats will kill you,” he told fans in New York on Tuesday.