JLo & Shakira's Powerful Statement About the Border Crisis

For the very first time in 54 years, two Latina superstars performed together on the Super Bowl Halftime Show and they didn't miss the chance to convey a message amidst the issues concerning Latinos in the USA.

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira made a subtle yet powerful statement about the border crisis during their Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show on Monday in Miami, Florida, a city which is known for its dense Hispanic community, according to an article by Billboard.

In the recent decades, Latinos who have settled in Miami for the last half-century, have been credited for the stunning rise of the city as a cultural hub and a global destination. They also have different origins from Cuban-Americans since the early 1960s to Venezuelan, Dominican, Colombian, and Puerto Rican communities.

As JLo and Shakira blazed through an astounding medley that culminated in "Let's Get Loud" and "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," dark patches of the field were illuminated by several neon structures where children could be seen inside cage-like seats. One by one, their cages lit up until Emme Maribel Muñiz, JLo's 11-year-old daughter, crawled out of her cage as she sang the empowering verses of her mom's 2000 single "Let's Get Loud."

The kids who were all in white sweatshirts with rhinestone American flags emblazoned across the front, joined Emme onstage and surrounded her as a backing choir. This part of the performance didn't go unnoticed on Twitter as several applauded the two Latina superstars for raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border to the Super Bowl and encouraging discussion about it with their short, but powerful, exposure during the halftime show.

User YS@NYinLA2121 said, "I saw it. Did you? Putting kids in cages to 'Let's Get Loud.' JLO and Shakira. Well played. Bravo.#HalftimeShow"

Another user @MarlenaFitz wrote, "We got too emotional our Latinidad in this performance, we are overlooking @Shakira and @JLo political message: We still have kids in cages. Watch again. #HalftimeShow #SuperBowl, #HalftimeShow, #PepsiHalftime @julito77 @latinorebels #SuperBowlLIV @JulianCastro"

In an article by Latin Post, JLo and Shakira previously hinted that they would be sending a message to empower their fellow Latinos.

"Two Latinas doing this in this country at this time is just very empowering to us," said JLo while Shakira added, "It's very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country."

In June 2018, photos of children kept in border patrol holding facilities known as "hierleras," Spanish for iceboxes, circulated online. These children slept on concrete floors with mylar blankets in chain-link pens. The facilities weren't designed for long-term stays since federal guidelines state that migrants have to be either released into the interior of the US or sent to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody within 72 hours.

These photos drove mass protests nationwide, including a sit-in at the Capitol where protesters wrapped themselves in mylar blankets, according to some news outlets.