Canadian Pop Star Tate McRae Denied Entry to U.S.

TORONTO, CANADA — In an unexpected development, Canadian pop sensation Tate McRae was reportedly turned away at the U.S. border this week, citing new immigration restrictions introduced under former President Donald Trump’s latest crackdown on visa holders.

McRae, whose hits like greedy and you broke me first have topped charts worldwide, was scheduled to perform in several U.S. cities before being stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers at an unspecified port of entry. Officials cited "increased scrutiny on foreign performers entering on non-immigrant work visas" as the reason for the hold-up, though sources suspect McRae may have been caught up in a much more targeted enforcement effort.

“We are simply conducting a routine security procedure involving one artist’s P-2 visa,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “This has absolutely nothing to do with what Ms. McRae may or may not have said about President Trump.”

The statement immediately raised eyebrows, as no one had suggested McRae had said anything about Trump—until they did.

A Personal Vendetta?

While McRae has never been overtly political, some suspect that the sudden change in her immigration status may be tied to a 2019 interview where she jokingly referred to Trump as having “a vibe like a divorced dad who shows up late to pick you up and lies about why."

Trump, who has been known to hold grudges over far less, has personally intervened in visa policies before—most notably in 2020, when British boyband One Direction faced inexplicable delays in obtaining work permits after Harry Styles liked an Instagram post about Trump’s bad spray tan.

Adding fuel to the theory, McRae’s immigration difficulties come just days after Trump made a cryptic Truth Social post that read, “I never liked that little Canadian girl. Not a fan!!!” The message did not specify who he was referring to, but a follow-up post that read “Bieber? Ok. But this one? NOPE.” left little doubt.

McRae Responds

McRae’s representatives have so far declined to comment on the situation, but the singer posted a cryptic Instagram story featuring a photo of her luggage with the caption, “Guess I live here now ¯\(ツ)/¯” followed by the Canadian flag emoji.

Fans immediately took to social media to express their outrage, with the hashtag #FreeTate trending on X (formerly Twitter). Many users pointed out that the move comes amid broader concerns that Trump’s immigration policies may disproportionately affect Canadians with work visas, particularly those in industries he deems "unnecessary" or "too woke."

What Happens Next?

For now, McRae’s U.S. tour dates remain uncertain, with legal experts scrambling to determine whether the ruling can be appealed. In the meantime, several Canadian venues have offered to host "backup concerts" for American fans willing to travel north of the border.

At press time, Trump had posted yet another cryptic message, stating, "A lot of these people, they don’t even sing LIVE, folks. Not great! Not great!"

McRae has yet to respond.