In a somber “Weekend Update” segment, Saturday Night Live addressed the controversy surrounding ICE, airing just hours after tragic incident in Minneapolis where a 37-year-old I.C.U nurse was killed by Border Patrol agents. The show opted for a more restrained, “light” approach to the topic, navigating the immediate tension of the breaking news story while still critiquing the agency’s current enforcement actions, according to Variety.
“Vice President J.D. Vance criticized protesters confronting ICE Officers, saying they should instead write an op-ed or argue about it on social media. You know, just like these young scholars did on January 6th,” Michael Che said during the January 24 episode, motioning to a photo of the attack at the Capitol in 2021.
He continued, “I get that ICE agents are people, allegedly, and they have a job to do. But at some point while you’re pepper-spraying old ladies or shooting at a nurse, do you ever stop to ask yourself, ‘Are we dicks?’”
The Saturday Night Live cold open took direct swing at the Trump administration through an awards-show parody, via Variety. The sketch featured the return of Mike Myers as Elon Musk, who quipped about the recent surge in federal enforcement, saying, “After what all my little freaks and psychos in ICE have been doing, I need more distractions.”
During a Saturday session at Variety’s Sundance Studio, Natalie Portman condemned recent ICE operations, using her appearance to signal solidarity with victims of federal enforcement. The actress wore an “ICE Out” pin alongside a “Be Good” pin–a tribute to Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.
“We’re also at a moment in our country’s history that is quite devastating,” Portman said. “It’s really impossible not to talk about what is happening right now and the brutality of ICE and how it has to stop immediately. But also, there’s a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other and fighting for their freedom. It’s a bittersweet moment to celebrate something we’re so proud of on the backdrop of our nation in pain.”