Billie Eilish is being branded 'hypocritical' following Grammys ICE speech
Accepting her 'Song of the Year' award at this year's Grammy Awards, Billie Eilish called out the increasingly-violent community raids being led by Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"No one is illegal on stolen land," she declared before a live studio audience, clapping back at the Republican's plans to 'halt' all 'illegal entry' into the US.
As a reminder, Trump, 79, declared a 'complete restoration of America' upon his second White House inauguration last year, months before instructing ICE officials to remove 'illegal aliens' by means they deem necessary.
The authorised raids have not only resulted in families being torn apart and children arrested, but a handful of protestors being killed in broad daylight - including Minneapolis locals Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both fatally shot by Border Force agents last month while defending immigrants.
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Her intentions may have been honourable in calling out these attacks, but it sounds as though 24-year-old Eilish's rant hasn't gone down too well with one Native American tribe.
In a fiery new statement released to press yesterday (3 Feb), a spokesperson for the Tongva - an Indigenous group of California peoples - pointed out that the Los Angeles property in which the 'Birds of A Feather' musician primarily resides, was constructed on 'ancestral land'.
The representative of the Tongva, who hail from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Island, believes the singer should have referenced the group specifically in her public message.
"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," they explained.
"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.
"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 group - who were coerced into working for Spanish settlers in 1769 before being resettled - lastly added: "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 honored. Ekwa Shem- We are here!"
In her brief message, the 'What Was I Made For?' chart-topper told audience members: "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.
"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."
Despite Eilish concluding her message by shouting, 'And f**k ICE, that's all I'm gonna say - sorry', several politicians supporting the Tongva have slammed her statement as a prime example of virtue signalling.
Republican senator Mike Lee called for the singer to return the land 'immediately' in a controversial X statement, while Florida's right-wing senator Ron DeSantis added: "Oh, gee, this 'stolen land' nonsense again?
"Maybe she should step up and forfeit her Southern California mansion since it is supposedly on 'stolen land'."
As a result of the controversy, a number of online critics have also accused Eilish - who is understood to live in a Los Angeles mansion worth around $3 million - of 'hypocrisy'.
"You first Billie Eilish. Return your real estate to indigenous people. Don’t be a fake virtue signaling hypocrite Democrat. Action not words," one hit out.
Another added: "Billie Eilish is just another virtue signalling hypocrite. It would be funny if this actually happened and what her defence would actually be."
Tyla contacted Eilish's representatives for comment.
Topics: Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Grammys, Politics, US News, Donald Trump
Rhianna Benson