The most irreverent news program on Latin American television, 31 Minutos, crossed the wall—at least symbolically—to burst onto the stage of the Tiny Desk Concert, NPR Music's prestigious musical format. Their performance, marked by humor and irony, transformed into an act of social critique aimed at immigration policies and the legacy of Donald Trump.

With its characteristic tone balancing the absurd and the lucid, the host, Tulio Triviño, opened the concert by joking about migratory precarity:

"This is 31 Minutos' first time in Washington, and we have exactly 31 minutes before our visas expire."

The comment, accompanied by laughter from the audience, established the political tone of the presentation from the very start. Far from being a simple joke, the message summarized a decade of immigration tensions in the United States through a satirical lens, particularly those following the restrictive policies of Trumpism, which remain present in media and cultural narratives.

Humor, Music, and Denunciation from the World's Most Famous Desk

During the 21-minute show, the Chilean puppets performed classic songs like “Mi muñeca me habló” (“My Doll Spoke to Me”), “Bailan sin César” (“They Dance Without César”), and “Objeción denegada” (“Objection Overruled”). The latter became the most political moment of the concert, with adapted lyrics that satirized the situation of Latin American migrants:

"Raise your hand if you are innocent / Raise your hand if you are guilty / Raise your hand if your Waiver expired / Raise your hand if you are illegal."

While a crocodilo "watched" the puppets to ensure they would "go back home," the band ridiculed the anti-immigrant paranoia that dominated the American political discourse during the Trump administration.

The video, recorded at NPR's offices in Washington D.C., surpassed a million views within hours and was celebrated by critics and fans as one of the most ingenious Tiny Desk presentations, not only for its visual proposal but for its ability to introduce social criticism into a musical format.

Latinos at the Tiny Desk: Satire and Cultural Resistance

The presence of 31 Minutos coincided with NPR's special programming for Hispanic Heritage Month, at a moment of high political sensitivity surrounding migration and Latin American identity.

Their participation alongside artists like Bad Bunny and Karol G reaffirmed the cultural strength of the region as a space for resistance and humor in the face of power.

The program's creator, Álvaro Díaz, explained that the team worked for a month in Santiago, Chile, to replicate the NPR studio and prepare a performance that mixed music, critique, and cultural memory.

"We keep finding new spaces. 23 years later, 31 Minutos continues to be a mirror of who we are: funny, critical, and free," Díaz told El País.

From the Children's Screen to the Political Stage

First aired in 2003, 31 Minutos began as a satirical children's news program, but its sharp commentary on power, the media, and inequality turned it into an intergenerational cultural phenomenon.

Its participation in the Tiny Desk not only marks a milestone for Latin American humor but also reaffirms that laughter, when used intelligently, remains one of the most effective forms of political critique.

Faced with the discourse of exclusion and xenophobia that marked the Trump era, the puppets of 31 Minutos responded with music, irony, and absurdity. Instead of building walls, they raised songs.