Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) appeared on Tuesday’s edition of The View to promote the second season of his comedy action series Fubar, but given his stint as California governor, the cast couldn’t help but drag him into a discussion of current events. Despite Schwarzenegger’s history with the American immigration process, a couple members of the cast (one of whom was descended from slave owners) thought they had the expertise to lecture him about immigration.
When asked about the current immigration debate, Schwarzenegger shared how grateful he was to be embraced by America and build a life here after emigrating from Austria. On the policy front, he called for comprehensive immigration reform to bring in more foreign workers from south of the border. A policy position supported the liberal cast of The View.
Where he lost them was when he demanded that people come to America legally, follow the laws when they get here, and give back to America (Click “expand”):
I just think the world of the great kind of history of immigrants in America. But the key thing also is at the same time, we got to do things legal. That is the most important thing. You have to do things legal, and those people that are doing illegal things in America and they're the foreigners, they are not smart, because, when you come to America, you're a guest and you have to behave like a guest.
Like when I go to someone's house and I'm a guest, then I will do everything I can to keep things clean and to make my bed and to do everything that is the right thing to do, rather than committing a crime of being abusive or something like that.
So, that doesn't really work in this country. I think the important thing is when you become an immigrant, you think about, ‘Okay, I go to America because I'm going to use America for the great opportunities America has in education, in jobs, creating a family, all of those kind of things. Then you have to think about, ‘Okay, if I get all of those things from America, then I have to give something back.’
“You have a responsibility as an immigrant to give back to America and to pay back to America and go and do something for your community for no money whatsoever. Give something back to after school programs, Special Olympics, or whatever it is, make this country a better place,” he declared, getting a resounding applause from the audience.
Talk of immigrants needing to follow America’s laws triggered moderator Whoopi Goldberg and co-host Sunny Hostin, who took it upon themselves to lecture the Austrian immigrant about immigrants.
“Right but, um, don't forget, there’s 90 percent of the people who come here are trying to do the right thing,” Goldberg declared. “And a lot of what's happening right now, is people are getting snatched, who shouldn't be snatched out of the country, people who have visas, people who have all those things. So, we want all the right people. We don't want people who are doing bad stuff.”
Hostin, whose family were staunch slave owners who tried to out run abolition, tried to interrupt Schwarzenegger; eventually proclaiming: “They're less likely to commit crimes…Immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes in this country than actual American-born citizens!”
She had a lot of nerve trying to lecture an immigrant about immigration given that her family transported people around the globe against their will. Then again, she did once proclaim that the United States was a worse place to live than China, and that she felt more comfortable during her vacation to Ghana, Africa.
Elsewhere in the show, Hostin made other foolish comments. While Hostin never missed an opportunity to call President Trump and Republicans “fascist,” she beclowned herself while decrying those who call Democrats Marxist:
And I think it's very dangerous political rhetoric because experts who study this sort of political messaging, they say associating Democrats with Marxism just furthers this country's polarization and it's simply wrong. Because Marxism is advocating for a classless, communist society. No Democrat is advocating for that.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
June 17, 2025
11:08:26 a.m. Eastern(…)
SUNNY HOSTIN: I think, first of all, a lot of people don't even know what Marxism is. A lot of people don't know who Karl Marx is. And it’s very –
JOY BEHAR: They don't know who Groucho Marx is.
HOSTIN: No, they don’t! They don’t.
And I think it's very dangerous political rhetoric because experts who study this sort of political messaging, they say associating Democrats with Marxism just furthers this country's polarization and it's simply wrong. Because Marxism is advocating for a classless, communist society. No Democrat is advocating for that."
(…)
11:22:21 a.m. Eastern
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I just think the world of the great kind of history of immigrants in America. But the key thing also is at the same time, we got to do things legal. That is the most important thing. You have to do things legal, and those people that are doing illegal things in America and they're the foreigners, they are not smart, because, when you come to America, you're a guest and you have to behave like a guest.
Like when I go to someone's house and I'm a guest, then I will do everything I can to keep things clean and to make my bed and to do everything that is the right thing to do, rather than committing a crime of being abusive or something like that.
[Hostin tries to interrupt]
So, that doesn't really work in this country. I think the important thing is when you become an immigrant, you think about, ‘Okay, I go to America because I'm going to use America for the great opportunities America has in education, in jobs, creating a family, all of those kind of things. Then you have to think about, ‘Okay, if I get all of those things from America, then I have to give something back.’
You have a responsibility as an immigrant to give back to America and to pay back to America and go and do something for your community for no money whatsoever. Give something back to after school programs, Special Olympics, or whatever it is, make this country a better place.
[Applause]
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Right but, um, don't forget, there’s 90 percent of the people who come here are trying to do the right thing.
HOSTIN: They're less likely to commit crimes.
GOLDBERG: And a lot of what's happening right now, is people are getting snatched, who shouldn't be snatched out of the country, people who have visas, people who have all those things. So, we want all the right people. We don't want people who are doing bad stuff.
HOSTIN: But they are less likely – Immigrants are much less likely to commit crimes in this country than actual American-born citizens!
GOLDBERG: Right.
BEHAR: It’s true.
(…)
