Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Immigrants Should Act Like Guests
Arnold Schwarzenegger has had his say on the ongoing ICE deportation crisis in Los Angeles, with people taking to the streets of LA earlier this month to campaign against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department's raids of numerous workplaces in the area while searching for alleged immigration violations.
Hundreds of people have been detained in the raids, with LA Mayor Karen Bass previously telling reporters: 'ICE initiated enforcement actions on several workplaces. That created a sense of chaos, outrage, fear, and terror because people are very worried as to what happened to their families.'In addition, President Donald Trump ordered military force to be used against protestors, which has led to attendees being tear-gassed and arrested.
In case you didn't know, Arnold served as Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 as a Republican, and during an appearance on The View on Tuesday, he was asked how he would handle the situation if he were still in power.
Arnie started by saying that 'the most important thing' is to work with 'everybody,' adding: 'You have to work together with local government, the state government, and the federal government. You have to work together rather than fighting each other."
He went on to say that 'immigration reform' is key going forward, explaining: 'For decades now, this country has needed immigration reform, which means we recognize the fact there's people in the south of America that want to come north to work, and we therefore should supply them with enough visas to come because we need those workers.'
"Then we'd know who is here, we'd be able to get rid of the criminal elements that are here, all this stuff so we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now,' Arnie went on.'If you want to make this country better and if you want to improve this country and improve the situation of people's lives and bring the prices down, you will go and serve the people of America," Arnold concluded. "You're a public servant, that's what you're supposed to do, and that's what I would do if I was governor."
Panelist Joy Behar then asked Arnold if he had a 'visceral reaction' to videos of what ICE is doing to immigrants, considering he is an immigrant himself. If you need reminding, Arnold was born in Austria in 1947, and moved to California to fulfill his bodybuilding dream in 1968, at age 21, with the star admitting that he spoke little English when he first emigrated.
'I'm so proud and happy to [have been] embraced by the American people like that,' Arnold said in response to Joy's question. 'Imagine, I came over here at the age of 21 with absolutely nothing, and then to create a career like that? I mean, in no other country in the world could you do that.'
Arnie then referenced his hugely successful bodybuilding and acting careers, as well as his political venture, before adding: 'All of this is because of America, and this is why I'm so happy to see firsthand that this is the greatest country in the world.''I'm such a proud American and a proud immigrant,' he went on. 'The key thing is, at the same time, you gotta do things legal.'
"Those people that are doing illegal things in America and that are foreigners, they are not smart, because when you come to America, you're a guest, and you have to behave like a guest," Arnold explained.
"When I go to someone's house and I'm a guest, then I'll do everything I can to keep things clean and to make my bed and do everything that's the right thing to do rather than committing a crime or being abusive or something like that,' he said. 'That doesn't really work in this country.
Arnold went on to say that immigrants come to America "for the great opportunities America has in education, jobs, creating a family," adding that they therefore have a responsibility to 'give something back.'Panelist Whoopi Goldberg attempted to push back on Arnie's comments, telling him: '90 per cent of the people who come here are trying to do the right thing, and a lot of what's happening right now is people are getting snatched — who shouldn't be snatched — out of the country.'Sunny Hostin also refuted what he'd said, pointing out that "immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes in this country than American-born citizens."
What do you make of Arnold's comments? Let me know down below.
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