Nashville label True Source Entertainment will release Joshua Caleb Smith’s single “Innocent Criminals” on October 16, with an accompanying music video out October 2. The video is built from archival and news footage addressing ICE raids and conditions inside immigration detention facilities, according to the announcement.
According to the label, the video draws on reporting from outlets including PBS News, Bloomberg, NBC News, CGTN America, Nashville Noticias, This American Life and L.A. TACO, as well as public statements from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The announcement says the footage includes coverage of deaths in ICE custody and allegations of poor conditions at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which is operated by CoreCivic; CoreCivic has denied those allegations.
Smith, described in the announcement as a Nashville-based musician and Emmy-nominated, Billboard-credited artist, says he wrote the song after observing what he characterizes as a pattern of unlawful arrests and mistreatment. He frames the project as a call for public attention and shared civic responsibility rather than a partisan statement.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Sarah (faccipr.com).