Bruce Springsteen, the songwriter known for chronicling the struggles of the American working class, has released a new track that focuses on recent events in Minnesota.

Less than one day after the video was posted on Springsteen's YouTube channel, the new song, titled "Streets of Minneapolis," was number one on the music trending chart with more than 2.5 million views.

The song addresses recent confrontations involving federal agents and the deaths of two people protesting government actions targeting immigrants. The lyrics mark a return to the protest-style storytelling Springsteen used decades ago to describe the collapse of the steel industry in Youngstown, Ohio.

For residents of Northeast Ohio, Springsteen’s voice is linked to the 1995 song "Youngstown." That track told the story of the Mahoning Valley’s rise and fall through the eyes of a local laborer.

In "Youngstown," Springsteen sang about the Heaton brothers finding iron ore in Yellow Creek in 1803 and the blast furnaces that made cannonballs for the Union Army. The song focused on the generational pride of families who worked in the Ohio Works and the heartbreak that followed when the mills were turned into "scrap and rubble."

The song was noted for its somber tone, ending with the narrator claiming he would rather stand in the "fiery furnaces of hell" than go to heaven, as he felt abandoned by the country his labor helped build.

While "Youngstown" mourned the end of an economic era, "Streets of Minneapolis" focuses on current political and social tension. The lyrics describe a city facing extreme winter weather while dealing with the presence of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security.

The song specifically names two people, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis less than three weeks apart in January 2026. Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital who was shot while filming officers during a protest. Good, also 37 and a mother of three, was fatally shot by an agent earlier in the month.

The lyrics challenge official accounts of the incident:

"Trump's federal thugs beat up on / His face and his chest / Then we heard the gunshots / And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead / Their claim was self-defense, sir / Just don't believe your eyes."

Springsteen’s new lyrics also address the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the impact of federal policies on local communities. The song includes a bridge that highlights the fears of residents regarding civil rights:

"If your skin is black or brown, my friend / You can be questioned or deported on sight / In our chants of 'ICE out now' / Our city's heart and soul persists."

Comment current events is common for the New Jersey singer. Throughout his career, Springsteen has used his music to give a voice to people he feels are overlooked by the government or harmed by changing industries.

In the mid-1990s, he visited the Mahoning Valley to research the stories of steelworkers who lost their jobs. Now, he appears to be doing the same for those caught in the middle of federal law enforcement actions in the Midwest.

The song concludes with a repetitive "ICE out" chant, signaling a firm stance on the presence of federal immigration agents in the city. Unlike the resignation found in "Youngstown," where the narrator is "sinkin' down," the new song calls for the community to "take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst."

According to the Associated Press, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded: “The Trump Administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities — not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information.”

The release comes as Minneapolis continues to recover from a winter of heavy protests and political division.

You can hear the full audio of Streets of Minneapolis on Bruce Springsteen's official YouTube channel.