Tom Morello Releases Anti-ICE Protest Song ‘Pretend You Remember Me’

Tom Morello has teamed up with Leonard Peltier and victims of the LA ICE Raids for protest song ‘Pretend You Remember Me’.

Tom Morello is no stranger to a protest song. With the growing deportations, disappearances and deaths at the hands of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforecement (ICE), Morello is speaking out.

In collaboration with the Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), ‘Pretend You Remember Me’ is a haunting protest song from the Rage Against The Machine guitarist.

Similar to his work with The Nightwatchman, Morello pulls double duty here, lending his vocals on the track as well as a killer guitar solo.

In an interview with Billboard, Morello said, “Releasing this song now is in direct response to what we’ve seen happening, the state terror we’ve seen happening in this country of mass agents tearing families apart.”

Morello released a video alongside the song featuring Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist and political prisoner whose life sentence was commuted by President Biden the day before he left office. Peltier opens the video saying, “No human being is illegal.” The video also features the faces of those impacted by ICE raids in Los Angeles.

In a statement, Morello said, “This song is written for all the families torn apart by the recent immigrant purges and kidnappings. Children torn from their wailing mothers’ arms by masked government thugs, people coming home to find their loved ones abducted by the state. Folks who worked, suffered, and struggled for decades just to make a decent life for themselves and their family were violently separated with an uncertain future. ‘Pretend You Remember Me’ is for them and for all those who are finding the courage to stand up against racism, tyranny, and injustice.”

Morello also revealed that ‘Pretend You Remember Me’ is the second single for his upcoming solo record, which he expects out next year via Mom+Pop. Last year, he shared ‘Soldier in the Army of Love,’ featuring his son Roman.

You can check out the clip for ‘Pretend You Remember Me’ below.