Toronto-based Mexican musician cancels U.S. tour after ICE shootings, as artists reconsider American shows

Quique Escamilla said he’s been feeling more uneasy every time he crossed the border to perform in the U.S. over the past year.

The Juno-award winning musician, who is based in Toronto but still carries his Mexican passport, said his worries began when Donald Trump returned to the White House with promises to crack down on the border.

But Escamilla said he initially decided to keep playing the U.S. dates he had booked months before.

He said several moments subsequently gave him pause, like when he first saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on city streets at a July tour stop, or when the U.S. Supreme Court voted in September to effectively allow ICE to racially profile people.

Still, he continued to play American venues, though Escamilla said he began to make special arrangements at home before he crossed the border in case he wasn’t heard from for weeks.

Last month, after ICE agents shot and killed two American citizens in Minneapolis, Escamilla said he no longer felt it was safe for him and his band to play in America.

“If I was stopped, or ran into ICE agents right now, I don't think my documents would matter. At the end of the day, the person is going to judge you by your skin colour,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Thursday.

“Literally no one in the United States can guarantee my safety while I travel with my Mexican passport.”

In a social media post on Jan. 21, he announced he was cancelling his remaining U.S. dates, and would not return to the country “until there is systemic lawfulness, accountability, and change.” 

Playing stateside is something several musicians are reconsidering, according to people in Canada’s music industry. And many artists have already decided to stop.

Two trans artists cancelled U.S. tour dates last spring following U.S. visa policies that discriminate against trans people. 

B.C rocker Matthew Good cancelled his entire American tour last year in protest of the Trump administration’s policies, and legendary songwriter Neil Young even said he was concerned about coming back through American customs after speaking out against Trump on his 2025 European tour.

Recently, the Rural Alberta Advantage, a Toronto group currently touring the U.S., announced on social media that it would cancel its Feb. 13 show in Minneapolis due to safety concerns.

Other artists are quietly avoiding the states, according to industry reps.