Olivia Dean wins Grammy award for best new artist

Olivia Dean clinched the Grammy for best new artist Sunday in a milestone moment for the British pop singer-songwriter known for her soulful voice and timeless sound.

Dean, who is part of a growing class of young U.K.-born vocalists, made waves last year with her romantic sophomore album “The Art of Loving,” with tracks including “Man I Need,” “A Couple Minutes” and “So Easy (To Fall In Love).”

“I want to say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant," Dean said in her acceptance speech. "I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”

Celebrities in the audience were wearing pins protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the celebration.

In being crowned best new artist, Dean bested KATSEYE, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young for the award.

She joins past best new artist winners such as The Beatles, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Culture Club, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Adele, Dua Lipa and Chance the Rapper.

Lauryn Hill, a favorite of her parents to whom Dean's middle name pays homage, also won the award in 1999.

The Grammy is designed for artists who achieve “a breakthrough into the public consciousness.” Eligible artists must have released at least five singles or one album, though there is no maximum.

The best new artist category is constantly evolving as the Grammys try to keep up with ever-complicated measures of fame. A screening committee determines whether artists have attained the necessary “breakthrough or prominence” required for nomination.

But there’s a new exception this year: acts featured on previous album of the year nominees are now considered new enough for eligibility. Their contributions just have to fall below 20% of the album’s playing time.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Olivia Dean poses in the press room with the award for best new artist during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Olivia Dean performs "Man I Need" during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Olivia Dean performs "Man I Need" during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Olivia Dean arrives at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Chappell Roan, right, presents the award for best new artist to Olivia Dean, left, during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Olivia Dean accepts the award for best new artis during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. Chappell Roan looks on from right. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Olivia Dean accepts the award for best new artis during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. Chappell Roan looks on from right. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal immigration officers have been seen at an airport in Atlanta after President Donald Trump said he’d deploy agents to supplement the Transportation Security Administration during a government shutdown that has caused long lines at security checkpoints across the country.

On Monday morning, a handful of federal agents were seen by The Associated Press near busy lines at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Federal agents are a routine presence at international airports, where Customs and Border Protection officers screen arriving travelers and Homeland Security Investigations agents handle criminal cases tied to smuggling, trafficking and fraud.

What’s unusual in the current moment is their visibility at TSA security checkpoints, a role typically handled by transportation security officers rather than federal investigators.

Hundreds of thousands of Homeland Security workers, including from the TSA, U.S. Secret Service and Coast Guard, have worked without pay since Congress failed to renew DHS funding last month.

Some fear the move to deploy federal immigration agents will only escalate tensions.

Trump said Sunday he would order federal immigration agents to airports to assist TSA by guarding exit lanes or checking passenger IDs unless Democrats agreed to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Funding for the department lapsed Feb. 14 as Democrats refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection without changes to their operations in the wake of the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Democrats are continuing to demand major changes to federal immigration operations — including policy changes that would require ICE agents to get a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes, the removal of masks and clear identifying information on uniforms.

Trump on Monday directed ICE officers not to wear face coverings in their work at airports. In a social media posted, Trump said he supports ICE officers wearing masks when dealing with “hardened criminals” but suggested it isn’t necessary when assisting with the “MESS at the airports.”

Grantham-Philips reported from New York. Associated Press writer Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

Federal immigration agents are seen at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)

People wait in long TSA security lines at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in the Queens borough of New York, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Federal immigration agents are seen at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)

A federal immigration agent is seen as people wait in a TSA line at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)