Diego Luna took over ‘Kimmel Live!’ to advocate for immigrants

On Monday night, award-winning actor-director Diego Luna became the first Mexican to host a late-night talk show in English.

Filling in for the titular “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, who was out on vacation, Luna took over as the special guest host of the late-night comedy show and seized the opportunity to speak up for L.A.’s immigrant community.

The star of the hit TV series “Andor,” who made his international breakthrough in 2002 with Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-nominated film “Y Tu Mamá También,” Luna thanked the people who helped him feel less “homesick” as a 20-something trying to make it in Hollywood.

“The people that held me 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,” Luna said. “A movement of that scale is not natural, not unless something is very, very wrong in the place that you are coming from.”

Luna alluded to the ongoing raids targeting undocumented immigrants across the Greater Los Angeles area, where federal agents have been dispatched by the Department of Homeland Security. When Angelenos took to the streets in protest, President Trump wrote that he deployed the National Guard to “temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions.” The move was criticized by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said it would “only escalate tensions.”

During his monologue, Luna cited the protests in Los Angeles as a “powerful example” of what a city looks like when it puts “empathy first.”

“Earlier this year when L.A. burned — immigrant workers risked their lives to stop the flames,” Luna said. “They’re the ones who build this country, they feed it, they nurture and teach its children, they care for the elderly, they work in construction and hospitality, they run kitchens.”

“All the people that I met shared an unspoken gratitude to this country, a country that opened its doors to them. And the most beautiful thing of all, is that all these immigrants brought their stories with them, they brought their loyalties, their love and their traditions, always with the openness to adopt new ones, to grow and to complement each other in this vast cultural exchange.”

Luna’s segment was followed with guest appearances from his “Andor” co-star Adria Arjona, comedian Patton Oswalt, as well as L.A. singer Nezza, who performed her original song, “Classy.”

Before closing, Luna encouraged viewers to donate to organizations like Public Counsel, a pro-bono law firm offering resources to immigrant communities, and Kids in Need of Defense, which was founded by Angelina Jolie and Microsoft to support unaccompanied migrant children.

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