Overview
- During her Song of the Year acceptance, Billie Eilish condemned ICE and said, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
- The phrase has long roots in Indigenous and immigrant-rights activism that highlights historic dispossession and treaty violations.
- After the speech, social media recast the line into absurd jokes treating “illegal” as a blank check, including a Los Angeles law firm’s mock eviction notice.
- The Gabrieleno/Tongva Nation said Eilish’s home lies on their ancestral land, noted she has not contacted them, and stated they did not consent to the eviction stunt.
- Coverage now ranges from historical explainers to partisan commentary on immigration and sovereignty, as the Recording Academy partnered with Tongva leaders on a Grammy week land acknowledgment.