Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, tears into mainstream media over LA ICE protest coverage: ‘Make it out like a war zone!’
Arnold Schwarzenegger has pushed back against media portrayals of Los Angeles as a “war zone” amid ongoing anti-ICE protests, arguing that the coverage misrepresents the actual scope of the demonstrations.
The former California governor told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday that “they make it out like it is a war zone — the whole Los Angeles — the whole city or the county.” He claimed that “maybe 0.001 per cent of the area of Los Angeles has problems” from the protests.
Schwarzenegger expressed concern that exaggerated media coverage could harm tourism, saying he doesn’t want visitors deterred by “what they see on television.”
Kimmel agreed with Schwarzenegger’s assessment and went further, claiming that “none of Los Angeles is a war zone.”
During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Schwarzenegger blamed both political parties for the current immigration crisis. “This wouldn’t happen if the politicians would do their work. Think about it,” he told Kimmel.
“The Democrats and the Republicans have no interest in solving this problem because they use that to raise money and so what they do is they just keep pointing the finger at each other and then they’re surprised if all of a sudden we are using our ‘middle finger’ on them,” Schwarzenegger said.
He expressed frustration with politicians’ priorities, asserting that “we send these politicians to Washington to solve the problems, and all they are is — instead of public servants, they’re party servants.”
The actor called the entire situation “bogus” and insisted “we can do better than that.”
Schwarzenegger revealed a personal connection to the immigration debate during the Kimmel interview. “Of course, this is a very sensitive subject for me because when I came over to this country, I was living in fear of being deported,” he said.
The Austrian-born actor moved to California in 1968 at age 21 without being fluent in English. He joked about being scared of deportation for “creative reasons.”
“Everything that I have ever accomplished in my life is because of America – that’s the bottom line,” Schwarzenegger told Kimmel.
He used colorful imagery to describe his frustration with both parties, noting that Democrats are symbolized by a “jackass” and Republicans by an elephant “which leaves a pile of dump” wherever it goes.
At the season two premiere of his Netflix series Fubar, Schwarzenegger reiterated his criticism of politicians’ handling of immigration reform.
“This is the result of Democrats and Republicans not being able to come together in this immigration reform,” he told Variety on the red carpet.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Tom Fletcher issues apology for ‘insensitive’ post amid Air India crash as singer addresses backlashJeremy Clarkson breaks silence on huge Clarkson’s Farm U-turn as he admits ‘I took a financial hit’Ray Winstone, 68, reignites 20-year Jack Nicholson, 88, feud: ‘If he was younger, I’d KNOCK HIM OUT’
The former governor argued that comprehensive reform would prevent the need for raids and protests. “We don’t even know who is in here,” Schwarzenegger said, referring to undocumented workers.
He accused both parties of deliberately avoiding the issue for political gain. “For decades now, they have been avoiding the subject because it’s an advantage to both parties to not do it,” he said.
“So they’re all political hacks, party hacks, rather than public servants,” Schwarzenegger concluded.
President Trump deployed approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles after violent demonstrations erupted over the weekend. Protesters burned property and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement.
The protests were initially sparked by threats of ICE raids, with a Home Depot in Paramount becoming an early protest site when immigration authorities were spotted there last Saturday.
Schwarzenegger argued that proper immigration reform would eliminate the need for such military deployments.
“I’m not so much interested in that as I am that the politicians have the responsibility to create immigration reform so we don’t have to have this crap going on in the first place,” he said at the Fubar premiere.
He emphasised the need for clarity on work permits and documentation to avoid arrests and protests altogether.