Brandi Carlile Raises Over $600,000 For Families Affected By ICE
Carlile’s latest tour stop doubled as a high-profile fundraiser for communities impacted by ICE activity in Minneapolis.
More than $600,000 was raised for immigrant families in Minnesota after Brandi Carlile headlined a benefit concert at Minneapolis’ Target Center on February 21, with proceeds directed to The Advocates for Human Rights.
The sold-out event, titled Be Human: A Concert for Minneapolis, drew an estimated 12,000 attendees, with additional viewers tuning in through a paid livestream hosted by Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current and VEEPS. According to Carlile and her Looking Out Foundation, funds raised from ticket sales, stream purchases and limited-edition merchandise will support free legal representation for people detained in immigration custody.
The Advocates for Human Rights represents individuals in the Upper Midwest seeking asylum, as well as those in detention, unaccompanied children and trafficking survivors. In a statement shared on Instagram after the concert, Carlile said the funds would allow the organization to “help and represent thousands of families who desperately need it.”
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“Minnesota is so deeply inspiring to me and the whole country. I can’t believe I got to sing for you and WITH you last night. So many people came together to celebrate your strength and conviction,” she wrote.
“Together we raised over $600,000 for the advocates for human rights so that they can help and represent thousands of families who desperately need it.”
Carlile told Rolling Stone she was on the “verge of tears the whole time” while performing.
Addressing the audience during the concert, she said, “You have been through so much… and you’ve been on my mind every second of every day. This is home to me.”
Earlier this month, Carlile announced a separate $25,000 grant through her Looking Out Foundation to support people detained by ICE in Minnesota. The Target Center fundraiser significantly expands that commitment.
The concert also featured a performance of “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind,” a song Carlile has used as an appeal to voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Members of the Minneapolis-based community choir Singing Resistance joined her onstage for the anthem.
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In comments to Rolling Stone following the show, Carlile criticized the current administration in blunt terms.
“You got f***ing scammed. We’re living in a scammy time,” she said. “That’s what people do. You can’t even pick up your phone without getting scammed. Doesn’t mean you have to double down,” she continued.
“I just think there are a whole lot of people out there right now feeling duped and feeling ashamed and embarrassed. What they need to feel is angry…They need to get mad and change their minds. Get past the embarrassment, get past the shame that we got duped by a con artist. Get mad enough to change your mind.”
Carlile added that she believes many voters did not anticipate the scale or nature of current immigration enforcement actions.
“I don’t believe most people signed up for that. Even people who voted for Trump, who I’m angry with, I don’t think they voted for this and I do think that they can still change their minds,” she said, arguing that the administration is more “interest in violent theatre and dominance over other people” than focused on legal immigration.
With the Minneapolis fundraiser behind her, Carlile returns to the road for the next leg of “The Human Tour.” The schedule includes additional arena shows across the United States this spring and a series of dates in the U.K. and Europe later this year.
