Delilah Bon has been sitting on this track for a year. Silenced by the fear that speaking out could block her entry into the US for her upcoming tour, she bit her tongue and waited. Now that tour has been cancelled, there is nothing left to hold back, and honestly? The timing could not be more powerful.
‘Illegal Aliens’ is a protest song that’s highly political and unflinching. Delilah Bon is talking about what is actually happening: the brutality towards immigrants, families torn apart, thousands of children alone in detention camps, and the terrifying reality of ICE raids dominating American streets. When you hear the real events she is referencing, it is genuinely scary. The track covers a range of world topics, bringing issues to the table that too many artists are afraid to touch, and yes, the shadow of Trump’s America looms large over every word.
“People need protest music and now is the right moment to speak out,” Bon explains. “Seeing the brutality towards immigrants, many of which have lived and worked in the US their whole lives, imprisoned in these inhumane camps breaks my heart. There’s thousands of kids alone in those camps, families are searching for their loved ones.”
The track has already been censored and made inaccessible in certain regions, with audio muted on social media. All digital download proceeds will go to MIRAC (Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee), a grassroots charity helping immigrant families with groceries, legal advice, and protest organisation. A handful of songs from her back catalogue will also have proceeds donated this month.
The US tour cancellation came after fans flagged how potentially unsafe it would be for an LGBTQ+ protest artist to travel, given the current climate. “I have many POC fans that are in hiding, many trans fans who are afraid of being body searched by federal agents,” Bon shares. “It filled me with rage imagining my shows becoming a target.”
Rather than retreat, Delilah Bon is channelling that rage into a charity show in Leeds in May 2026. The event will raise money for immigrants impacted by ICE raids and family separation, with the entire show filmed professionally and potentially livestreamed for her overseas audience. She calls it “something historical” that will form part of a new documentary she is working on.
