Lead Act
Drew Pavlou, an Australian activist, says he flew to Los Angeles after Billie Eilish told the Grammys that “no one is illegal on stolen land,” then announced he would camp outside her Malibu home to test that idea; at LAX he says immigration held him for about 30 hours and put him on a return flight to Sydney.
What He Said and Did
Pavlou posted videos saying he planned to “move into” Eilish’s $6 million property or at least camp on the lawn until asked to leave, calling it political performance art. He raised a few thousand dollars online before one fundraiser was removed, then bought a ticket to Los Angeles. He later said the plan was to stay until formally told to leave and that he did not intend to confront the singer.
Embedded Proof
Immigration’s Take
According to Pavlou, U.S. officials asked detailed questions about whether he planned to trespass, contact or confront Eilish, and about prior activism, including a 2022 incident in London he says he was cleared of. He says agents told him the Billie Eilish posts were the main reason for extra scrutiny, and that he was advised to apply for a different visa for a planned later appearance on a Texas program rather than being permanently banned.
Tribal Claim and Celebrity Signal
The Tongva or Gabrieleno Tongva people confirmed the Malibu land is ancestral territory and told media they want public figures to name the tribe when discussing history. That complicates the social media stunt angle. A celebrity calling attention to stolen land and an activist treating the line as an invitation are not the same thing as resolved legal or cultural claims.
Fundraising and Platform Moves
Pavlou says he raised money first on GoFundMe, which removed the campaign, and then moved to GiveSendGo. Platforms policing fundraising for stunts and protests is now routine, and removal often shifts donors to sites with looser rules. That pattern raises questions about how platforms decide which campaigns to host and which to scrub.
Why Bureaucracy Is Not Amused
Border officials deal with real threats and real protests, plus social media jokes that sometimes cross legal lines. When a traveler announces plans to occupy private property tied to a high profile celebrity, immigration has to ask questions. Agents also often look at past incidents and online history. Jokes that read like plans do not always get the benefit of the doubt.
Where This Gets Sticky
There are three moving parts: celebrity rhetoric, tribal sovereignty, and border control. A performative gesture on social media colliding with private property and immigration law was always likely to cause friction. Whether Pavlou intended real trespass or just attention, authorities treated the posts as a potential risk and acted accordingly. The result is a reminder that online stunts can have real world consequences.
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