“Andor Star” Diego Luna, filling in as a visitor host for Jimmy Kimmel this week, confirmed appreciable bravery in his first monologue, throughout which he paid tribute to the town of Los Angeles, criticized “the authoritarian insurance policies of Donald Trump,” and delivered an impassioned plea for viewers to throw their help to immigrant communities all through America.
“I wish to deal with an vital subject that’s taking place right here in Los Angeles, and throughout the USA. With the whole lot happening on this nation round immigration and authoritarian insurance policies of Donald Trump, it’s no small factor {that a} Mexican is internet hosting such an vital present,” Luna stated.
“Yeah. I do know. It’s an enormous deal. It’s an enormous deal and I actually hope to not f— it up. The primary time that I voluntarily set foot within the territory often known as The USA, I used to be 20 years previous. After the success of ‘Y tu Mamá También.’ I began touring to California for work and Los Angeles grew to become a spot that I visited always, not just for my work, but additionally as a result of I beloved it,” he stated.
“I spent an awesome a part of my earnings on laundry providers and alcohol right here. Plenty of my mind cells have died on this metropolis. I met those who to today are very near my coronary heart. Nice issues occurred to me right here. Actually, my son was born right here,” Luna continued. “Sure, I’ve, I’ve an Angeleno son, the one actual Mexican American of the household, and I’ll all the time be grateful to Los Angeles for that.”
Luna celebrated how “each Angeleno I do know has all the time beloved to point out me THEIR Los Angeles. Their neighborhood, their meals, their many gluten free bakeries, their new Teslas… effectively, that was earlier than Elon Musk grew to become a MAGA area Nazi. I spent lengthy seasons working right here, again when folks nonetheless made motion pictures in LA, yeah… till I felt alone and homesick.”
However, Luna stated, it was then that “he instantly discovered a neighborhood that got here out to help me, to point out me their love, and to remind me that one thing holds us collectively: our frequent roots. Yeah, the those who lifted me up had been principally those who had left their international locations to discover a new life, or the little kids of immigrants that had come right here with the intention to work and construct a wholesome, satisfying and dignified life, away from their native land.”
“A motion of that – of that scale. That’s not pure, not except one thing may be very, very mistaken within the place you might be coming from,” Luna stated. “No one leaves their land if it’s not as a result of their survival depends upon it. Yeah. No one leaves – no one leaves their previous behind, only for enjoyable. However you realize what? All of the those who I met shared an unstated gratitude to this nation, a rustic that opened its doorways to them.”
“And essentially the most lovely factor of all, is that each one these immigrants introduced their tales with them, they introduced their loyalties, their love, their traditions, all the time with the openness to undertake new ones, to develop and to enhance one another on this huge cultural trade,” he continued.
As examples, Luna famous a married couple, a Korean girl and Mexican man who make Korean tacos in Downtown LA, and famous the “Filipino and Hispanic folks fought hand in hand within the fields to create the primary agriculture employees’ union. This modified the fact of the hundreds of individuals answerable for feeding this nation.”
“The purpose is that Los Angeles is fascinating and admirable exactly due to the cultural trade, due to the generosity, yeah, due to the generosity and the openness that surged from it, all as a result of folks from completely different cultures and realities agreed to provide one another an opportunity and construct one thing outstanding collectively,” he continued, including, “this place is a robust instance of what’s doable, of what might be achieved after we put empathy first.”
“I’ve by no means been capable of totally perceive how it’s that somebody like Donald Trump is ready to purchase this degree of energy. I all the time battle to know how his hate speech can take root in a rustic whose nature has all the time been a welcoming one,” Luna lamented. “Immediately many individuals are feeling persecuted. Far too many individuals reside in concern. Concern of taking their children to high school, or going to locations the place they earn an sincere dwelling. These folks, they’re your neighbors, your folks. Immigrants!”
Luna then defined why “that is very unfair,” noting the quite a few contributions documented and undocumented employees alike make to America. “They’re technicians, retailers, athletes, drivers, farmers. They pay numerous taxes, A LOT of them, with their jobs, papers or no papers… However that’s one thing that the Trump administration doesn’t need you to know.”
“There are numerous lies flying round about immigrants, however I’m certain you’ve got a couple of story that may attest on the contrary. Discuss it, share it. That helps. Immediately, they should know that they’re not alone. These have been a darkish few weeks, it isn’t acceptable nor it’s regular to separate households. Violence and terror should not okay. Immigrants must know that their battle is yours as effectively,” he stated.
Asserting that politicians want to acknowledge the contributions, Luna referred to as to “give them a path to authorized certainty. That is what your neighbors actually deserve, to be totally welcome on this nation the place they already belong.”
He then urged viewers to name their representatives in Congress, and steered trying into advocacy teams like “Public Counsel” and “Children in Want of Protection.”
“I hope, I hope what I’ve stated evokes you to get entangled or have a look at this from a distinct standpoint. And if my feedback have angered you. I simply need you to know: It was all written by Guillermo,” Luna joked, referring to Kimmel’s longtime sidekick.
Watch the entire monologue beneath:
