Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel to promote season two of Netflix’s FUBAR, but the duo could not resist talking about the LA riots. Both men insisted everything has been blown way out of proportion, but Schwarzenegger also claimed the violence has been the result of politicians not passing “comprehensive immigration reform,” which he partly defined as giving citizenship to illegal immigrants.
Schwarzenegger claimed, “I totally agree with you, by the way, Jimmy. They make it out to—like it's some war zone, the whole, Los Angeles, the whole city or the county. And the fact of the matter is, it's maybe 0.001 percent of the area of Los Angeles has problems, and there's a protest.”
He declared that “I think this is important for people to know, because I don't want all of a sudden tourism to suffer in Los Angeles because what they see on television, because the media sometimes shows it as if the whole of Los Angeles is a big war zone, which really isn't really the case.”
Kimmel agreed, “No. None of Los Angeles is a war zone.”
Schwarzenegger then got around to playing the blame game, “But this wouldn't happen if the politicians would do their work. Think about it.”
After Kimmel sought clarification on what he meant by that, Schwarzenegger continued, “For decades, almost four decades, we have had a problem where they talked about immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform. But the Democrats and the Republicans, both of the parties, have no interest in solving this problem because they use that to raise money.”
If only there was an event four decades ago that soured conservatives on the idea of “comprehensive immigration reform.”
Schwarzenegger then fell back on the fallacy of the center:
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, right? But I mean, it's all bogus, because I think that we can do better than that. Democrats and Republicans—you know, when they talk about Democrats and Republicans, even though I'm a Republican, I tell you, it is sometimes disappointing. And then I think even just when you look at the symbols of the party. Think about that. I mean, the Democrats, donkey. Republicans, elephant. And the donkey's a jackass. And of course, wherever the big animal goes, it leaves a pile of dump, right? I mean, it's—the symbols say it all.
A few moments later, Kimmel again sought to clarify what Schwarzenegger meant by comprehensive immigration reform, asking, “But you know, but seriously, of course, there truly are families that are worried they're going to be deported. Do you think that people who have been in this country for 25 years and who have had no criminal activity whatsoever should be granted the rights of U.S. citizenship?”
Schwarzenegger affirmed it would, “Yes, and also we'd then be able to hand out more visas, temporary working permits, permanent working permits, the green card, citizenship, and all of those things. And we would know who comes into the United States rather than not knowing and having so many people here that they don't even know who they are, and what kind of criminal activities they're participating in, and all this.”
He further mourned:
So, it's a shame, the whole thing, because we have a country that needs workers. And when you look at south of the border, they want to work. So, it's a perfect match. But let's do it legal, and let's do it in a coherent way, rather than doing it the way now, which is a disaster. And I told you, that's what makes me so disappointed in both of the parties. That both of the parties do not want to go and solve this problem once and for all and create good immigration reform, the way, you know, like Senator Kennedy and John McCain worked it out, and they had a really great, great bill there. But then they didn't go for it.
The problem is the same as it has always been. You can’t talk about offering citizenship to illegal immigrants without incentivizing a rush for the border, thus making the problem even worse. If Schwarzenegger wants to know why his brand of centrist-to-liberal Republicanism is dead, that is why.
Here is a transcript for the June 11-taped show:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!
6/12/2025
12:13 AM ET
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I totally agree with you, by the way, Jimmy. They make it out to — like it's some war zone, the whole, Los Angeles, the whole city or the county. And the fact of the matter is, it's maybe 0.001 percent of the area of Los Angeles has problems, and there's a protest.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Yeah.
SCHWARZENEGGER: And so, I think this is important for people to know, because I don't want all of a sudden tourism to suffer in Los Angeles because what they see on television, because the media sometimes shows it as if the whole of Los Angeles is a big war zone, which really isn't really the case.
KIMMEL: No. None of Los Angeles is a war zone.
SCHWARZENEGGER: But this wouldn't happen if the politicians would do their work. Think about it.
KIMMEL: Now, what do you mean by that, exactly? What do you mean by that?
SCHWARZENEGGER: For decades, almost four decades, we have had a problem where they talked about immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform. But the Democrats and the Republicans, both of the parties, 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, right?
But I mean, it's all bogus, because I think that we can do better than that. Democrats and Republicans — you know, when they talk about Democrats and Republicans, even though I'm a Republican, I tell you, it is sometimes disappointing. And then I think even just when you look at the symbols of the party. Think about that. I mean, the Democrats, donkey. Republicans, elephant. And the donkey's a jackass. And of course, wherever the big animal goes, it leaves a pile of dump, right? I mean, it's — the symbols say it all.
…
KIMMEL: But you know, but seriously, of course, there truly are families that are worried they're going to be deported. Do you think that people who have been in this country for 25 years and who have had no criminal activity whatsoever should be granted the rights of U.S. citizenship?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, this is what I'm talking about, is immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform will address all these issues.
KIMMEL: Will it do that?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Yes, and also we'd then be able to hand out more visas, temporary working permits, permanent working permits, the green card, citizenship, and all of those things. And we would know who comes into the United States rather than not knowing and having so many people here that they don't even know who they are, and what kind of criminal activities they're participating in, and all this.
So, it's a shame, the whole thing, because we have a country that needs workers. And when you look at south of the border, they want to work. So, it's a perfect match. But let's do it legal, and let's do it in a coherent way, rather than doing it the way now, which is a disaster.
And I told you, that's what makes me so disappointed in both of the parties. That both of the parties do not want to go and solve this problem once and for all and create good immigration reform, the way, you know, like Senator Kennedy and John McCain worked it out, and they had a really great, great bill there. But then they didn't go for it.
