Billie Eilish boldly spoke out against ICE agents while accepting her Grammy award, but she’s now received some backlash.
The 24-year-old singer took home her 10th win on Sunday for her song of the year, Wildflower, written with her brother Finneas.
When stepping up on stage, she used her platform to condemn the actions of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, widely known as ICE.
Tensions came to a head with the officers in Minnesota last month after the killing of Alex Pretti, with multiple artists expressing their support for removing the force.
‘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,’ Billie began her speech.
She expressed frustration at the anti-immigration rhetoric growing in America, which was colonised by Europeans in the late 16th century.
Billie continued: ‘It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and 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
Wrapping up her acceptance, she said: ‘And f*** ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say. Sorry!’
Many praised the Lunch singer for standing up against the officers, who were given huge power over deportation after Donald Trump’s inauguration.
However, some political commentators have pushed back against Billie’s statement and pointed out her home is also on ‘stolen land’.
Right-wing internet personality Eric Daugherty pushed for her to ‘host’ immigrants in her home or ‘shut up’.
Billie’s $3,000,000 house is in the Los Angeles basin, which belongs to the indigenous people, the Tongva tribe.
A spokesperson for the tribe told the Daily Mail they had reached out to the singer ‘to express our appreciation for her comments.’
They shared: ‘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 instances when Public Figures provide visibility to the true history of this country.’
The Gabrielino/Tongva tribe has been recognised by the state of California, but is yet to be formally recognised on a federal level.
This means they are not able to participate in scholarships for Native American people or request repatriation.
On their website, the tribe claims they are ‘wrongly deprived’ of 1,553,772 acres of Los Angeles County. However, they only intend to buy back less than .005% of that land once recognised.
The spokesperson 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.’
They also ‘partnered closely with the Recording Academy to author the official Land Acknowledgement statement shared during Grammy week and at the Premiere Ceremony.’
The tribe concluded: ‘The Recording Academy has been an incredible partner to our tribe, and we look forward to continuing the relationship to ensure the voices of the First People of this land are heard and honoured. Ekwa Shem- We are here!’
Metro has reached out to the tribe and Billie for comment.
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