Diego Luna stepped in as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and took the opportunity to criticize Donald Trump‘s “unfair” approach to immigration.
“Tonight, I want to address an important issue that is happening here in Los Angeles and all around the United States,” Luna said during his opening monologue “With everything going on in this country around immigration and authoritarian policies of Donald Trump, it is no small thing that a Mexican is hosting such an important show. It’s a big deal and I really hope not to fuck it up.”
The Andor actor described coming to the United States from Mexico at 20 years old and building a community in Los Angeles following the success of his 2001 film, Y Tu Mamá También. “The people that lifted me up were mostly people that had left their countries to find a new life, or the sons and daughters of immigrants that had come here in order to work and build a healthy, enjoyable and dignified life, away from their place of origin,” he said.
He added, “A movement of that scale, that’s not natural, not unless something is very, very wrong in the place you are coming from. Nobody leaves their land if it’s not because their survival depends on it. Nobody leaves their past behind, just for fun. But you know what? All the people that I met shared an unspoken gratitude to this country, a country that opened its doors to them.”
Luna described how “interesting and admirable” the city feels “because of the cultural exchange, thanks to the generosity and the openness that surged from it, all because people from different cultures and realities agreed to give each other a chance and build something remarkable together.”
“This place is a powerful example of what’s possible, of what can be achieved when we put empathy first,” he said. “I have never been able to fully understand how it is that someone like Donald Trump is able to acquire this level of power. I always struggle to understand how his hate speech can take root in a country whose nature has always been a welcoming one.”
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The actor acknowledged that the president’s current approach means that “too many people live in fear.” “This is very unfair and let me tell you why: the multiple times that this country has had to rebuild itself, immigrants were always there to pick up the slack,” Luna said. “Earlier this year, when L.A. burned, immigrant workers risked their lives to stop the flames. They are the ones who build this country, they feed it, they nurture and teach its children, they care for the elderly, they work in construction, hospitality, they run kitchens. They’re technicians, merchants, athletes, drivers, farmers.”
He added, “They pay a lot of taxes, a lot of them, with their jobs, papers or no papers. In 2022, undocumented immigrants contributed around $96.7 billion worth of taxes. But that is something that the Trump administration doesn’t want you to know. There are a lot of lies flying around about immigrants, but I’m sure you have more than one story that can attest to the contrary. Talk about it, share it. That helps. Today, they need to know that they’re not alone. These have been a dark few weeks. It is not acceptable nor is it normal to separate families. Violence and terror are not okay. Immigrants need to know that their struggle is yours as well.”
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Earlier this year, Luna spoke to Rolling Stone about his experience playing Cassian over two seasons of Andor and in Rogue One. He explained that the character’s journey was similar to his own.
“Being a migrant and an orphan is always behind his decisions,” Luna said. “When he believes he belongs to a community or a group of people or a family, he will do anything to defend that, no matter what. He wouldn’t stop to think if it’s right or wrong, and that’s a big shift we see in the character in Season One. When we start this season, he’s committed to the people, not yet to the cause. But he’s about his community. He’s about his people. I think that’s what makes him a character you can definitely care for, because it doesn’t matter how wrong sometimes his actions look. He’s always there protecting those he cares about and believes in.”
