Pepe Aguilar drops new song for immigrant rights: ‘I'm not making a cent off this song'

Los Angeles Times

9 hours ago

Storied Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar is using his platform to elevate the struggle and celebrate the dignity of the immigration experience in the U.S. with his latest single, 'Corrido de Juanito.'
The track, which dropped Friday, explores the societal and emotional trials of being far from home while attempting to make the best of life. The song was originally written and recorded by former Calibre 50 vocalist and accordionist Edén Muñoz in 2017.
Aguilar's take on the song comes at a time when its message takes on a heavier meaning as Immigration and Customers Enforcement agents have increased their presence in Los Angeles under the directive of President Trump.
The 'Por Mujeres Como Tú' singer's track with a message also acts as a monetary service to the immigrant community of L.A. All the proceeds from the song will go to the immigrant rights organization Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).
'I'm not making a cent off this song. We're giving away everything, not only from the song, but from my latest released album,' Aguilar told The Times following the single's release. '[CHIRLA] is helping immigrants to fight this battle legally and peacefully and respectfully. That's why I created this song, and that's why I decided to donate whatever it makes and whatever my album makes, for the time that it's more valuable.'
The advocacy group focuses on the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees in L.A. and throughout the state of California. Its services include free and low-cost legal services and community education.
'We thank Pepe Aguilar for using his voice and platform to defend and support the immigrant community that is foundational to their fan base,' CHIRLA executive director Angelica Salas said in a statement. 'Thank you for your invaluable support and for uplifting the presence and contributions of immigrants in the U.S.'
Following the onset of the ICE raids in June, the 56-year-old Grammy winner posted a message on Instagram in support of the immigrant community.
'I'm not going to fight the system; I'm going to peacefully resist it with art, with memory, with culture, with tradition, with respect,' said in the June 7 social media video.
In the same post, he announced that he would be working on a version of the song that was released today.
Aguilar, who is headlining at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 15 and 16, first heard the song at an awards show around the time of its initial release and felt deeply impacted by its message.
'I was really touched by the lyrics and the truthfulness of the song,' Aguilar said Friday morning. 'I had a lump in my throat when I first heard it and then it was a hit.'
Flash forward to 2025 and he revisited the Calibre 50 track while singing bohemias with his family at his daughter's house a few months back.
'Something called me in at that party to sing the song and I had never sang it before,' he said. 'I didn't know what it felt like to sing the song and when I sang it, I loved the way it sounded.'
It was after that experience that he knew he needed to record his own version.
'Now, with everything going on with all these deportations and with immigration, I think it's a song that applies tremendously to create consciousness around this subject and to portray a reality that is lived by millions,' Aguilar said. 'There are millions of Juanitos that are unable to go back home or unable to go to their loved ones funerals and are afraid of being deported, but at the same time they are working and helping the engine of America to remain stable.'
Aguilar channels the pain of homesickness and the worry of becoming forgotten that immigrants face on the daily.
'It's been almost 14 years since I've gone back to the land I was born,' Aguilar sings in the single's opening lines. 'Everything has now changed, I beg God that they don't forget about me.'
The 'Perdonóme' vocalist shared a direct message to the people currently being most affected by the ongoing ICE raids.
'No están solos, we care for you, and when I mean 'we,' I'm talking about everybody that understands your situation, not only Mexicans, but I have a lot of friends that are not Mexican, even a lot of full-blooded Americans, who are tremendously worried about what's going on,' Aguilar said. '[A] lot of associations want to do something about this unfair situation, a tremendously unfair and historically unfair for a country like the U.S. I believe in the principles that created the United States, and I hope that those principles are used in this tremendously sad situation.'