The Tongva tribe in Southern California responded to singer Billie Eilish‘s comments declaring “no one is illegal on stolen land” at the Grammy Awards Sunday night.
While accepting the Grammy for Song of the Year, the 24-year-old singer drew backlash for using her acceptance speech to attack border enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said while wearing an “ICE OUT” pin. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”
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“And f— ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say, sorry,” she added.
Several commentators pointed out that Eilish herself owned a multimillion-dollar Los Angeles property on what is considered “stolen land” that was historically inhabited by the Tongva people, a Native American nation whose territory includes the greater Los Angeles Basin.
The tribe released a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday confirming her home’s presence on “ancestral land,” adding that Eilish has not contacted the tribe regarding her ownership.
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“We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarity regarding the recent comments made by Billie Eilish,” the statement read. “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 statement continued, “We have reached out to her team to express our appreciation for her comments. 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.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Eilish’s representatives for comment.
Eilish was one of several celebrities who used the Grammy Awards to bash ICE officers and the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“ICE out,” singer Bad Bunny said while accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens — we are humans, and we are Americans.”
