A Native American tribe that owns the land Billie Eilish’s mansion sits on has responded after the singer referenced ‘stolen land’ in her comments about ICE at the Grammys.
The singer accepted a Grammy for her hit single Wildflower on Sunday (February 1), and took her chance on the stage to make comments about immigration, which has resulted in mixed reactions from fans, along with several other celebrities.
Standing alongside her brother and co-writer of Wildflower, Finneas, Eilish said: "As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land."
Her comments were made in a nod to America’s founding, which saw European settlers colonize the land from its native people, now known as Native Americans, in the late 15th century.
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Since her comments at the ceremony, which was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, the singer has been faced with calls to return her $3 million LA mansion.
Political commentator Eric Daugherty posted on X that she should ‘give her mansion back’ to the Tongva tribe, whose ancestral land it sits on.
Daugherty said: “Americans are calling on Hollywood elitist Billie Eilish to RETURN her $14M LA mansion to the Tongva tribe after she claimed, 'no one is illegal on stolen land'.
“She could also graciously host illegal aliens in her mansion. After all, she has the moral high ground. Put up or shut the F up.”
Now, in a statement to The Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the Tongva tribe has spoken out, saying they wanted to 'clarify' Eilish’s comments.
The tribe said: “We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarity regarding the recent comments made by Billie Eilish.
“As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land. Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, we do value the instance when public figures provide visibility to the true history of this country.”
The tribe explained they had also contacted Eilish’s team to ‘express our appreciation for her comments'.
They added: “It is our hope that in future discussions, the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles basin remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory.”
The tribe's response comes after Eilish further said on stage that it was 'really hard to know what to say and what to do right now'.
"I just feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter," she continued.
“And f**k ICE, that's all I'm gonna say. Sorry!”
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been dividing the nation after a series of immigration raids and two shootings in Minneapolis in recent months, which saw the deaths of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the city’s streets.
LADbible Group previously contacted Eilish's reps for comment.
Topics: Billie Eilish, Grammys, Celebrity, Music
The UNILAD Team