Spotify Ends ICE Recruitment Ads on Platform

Spotify has confirmed that recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, are no longer running on its platform, ending a campaign that had faced widespread criticism from users and artists.

The ads, which appeared between songs for listeners on Spotify's free tier, were part of a broader U.S. government initiative to hire more than 10,000 deportation officers by the end of 2025. A Spotify spokesperson stated that the campaign concluded across major media and platforms, including the streaming service, at the end of last year. "The advertisements mentioned were part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms," the spokesperson said. "The campaign ended on most platforms and channels, including Spotify, at the end of last year."

The recruitment effort stemmed from a $30 billion investment by the Trump administration to expand ICE's workforce. The ads promoted signing bonuses of up to $50,000 for new officers and targeted English and Spanish-speaking audiences. Similar spots aired on platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, Max, and Pandora, with the Department of Homeland Security spending millions on digital...