Cliff Notes – Actor reveals they’re ‘carrying passport all the time’ over ICE fears
- Aziz Ansari, an American actor of Indian descent, joked about carrying his passport constantly due to fears surrounding ICE deportation policies under the Trump administration.
- The administration’s hardline stance has led to nearly 200,000 deportations since January, with American citizens also mistakenly detained in the process.
- Ansari faced backlash for performing at a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, where he defended his decision by highlighting the importance of engaging with repressive societies rather than isolating from them.
Actor reveals they’re ‘carrying passport all the time’ over ICE fears
An American actor and comedian of Indian descent has joked he is ‘carrying his passport’ all the time to prove he’s a US citizen.
This year President Donald Trump’s administration has been rolling out a ‘hardline’ deportation campaign against thousands of immigrants.
It’s been estimated that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported nearly 200,000 since January, with the policy being slammed by many and has also sparked mass protests across the country.
The aim has been to deport suspected illegal immigrants that Trump has said are ‘poisoning the blood of the country’. However, in the process, which have been called ‘ruthless’ and ‘inhumane’, several American citizens have also been mistakenly detained and deported.
Overnight comedian and actor Aziz Ansari appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he poked fun at the government agency.
After being asked by the host about moving to London after marrying his wife – Danish data scientist Serena Skov Campbell – in 2022, Aziz spoke about ‘not being in Los Angeles for awhile’.
Aziz Ansari has joked he is ‘on edge’ being in the United States currently (Picture: CBS)
The comedian, who is of Indian descent, is ‘carrying his passport all the time’ (Picture: Jerod Harris/ Getty Images for CinemaCon)
His comments were in responds to the ICE raids ordered by Donald Trump (Picture: AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Aziz’s parents were Muslim immigrants from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
‘I haven’t been here since all this ICE stuff started happened. I’m all nervous. I got friends, they’re like, “We’re hiding our nanny in the basement. We might have to raise our kids. We don’t know what we’re going to do”,’ he quipped.
He went on: ‘I’m on edge, man. I’m carrying my passport all the time, just in case people haven’t seen the shows, you know?
‘Although I do think it would be amazing if they did grab me, ’cause there’d be an incredible viral video where all these people are like, “Oh my god, that’s the guy from Parks and Rec… he made Master of None. Oh my god, they’re arresting (Pakistani-American actor) Kumail Nanjiani!”.’
Although his quips sparked plenty of laughs from the host and studio audience, the interview later took a more serious turn after he was grilled over a recent controversy.
Last month Aziz, 42, was one of over 50 comedians who performed at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The comedian came under fire recently for taking part in a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia (Picture: Chad Salvador/ Variety via Getty Images)
Others who took part included Jimmy Carr, Jack Whitehall, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Jessica Kirson, and Pete Davidson.
However, they all faced intense backlash, with the Human Rights Watch also claiming the state-sponsored event was being used by the government ‘to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations’.
The Saudi government has come under the spotlight for its restrictions on freedom of speech, the use of the death penalty and the limitations placed on the rights of women and girls.
‘A lot of comedians are upset, because the people who paid for them to come are not particularly good people. It’s a pretty brutal regime and they’ve done a lot of horrible, horrible things. And so people are questioning why you would go over there and take their money to perform in front of these people,’ Jimmy explained.
‘Why did you decide to do that?’ he then asked Aziz.
He consulted his wife about whether to take part (Picture: Rodin Eckenroth/ Getty Images)
Responding, the comedian said he had ‘put a lot of thought’ into his decision to attend.
‘I have an aunt who lived there for a while, and I talked to her about this, and she said there was people over there who don’t agree with stuff the government is doing and to ascribe the worst behaviour of the government onto those people is unfair. Just like people in America who don’t agree with what the government is doing here,’ he said.
Continuing to question Aziz’s decision, the host asked if he’d interacted with any government officials.
‘No, I was just there to do the show. I spoke to my wife before this, and she said that whenever there are repressive societies like this they try and keep things out. So, to me a comedy festival felt like it was pushing things to be more open. You have to make a choice whether you want to isolate or engage. For me, looking the way I do and being from a Muslim background, I hope it pushes things in a positive direction,’ he added.
‘I share the concerns that people brought up and it’s all valid.’
He then said his team had considered donating part of his fee to charity, but when Jimmy pushed him to specify and if he’d donated already, he said: ‘I’ve read about ones like Human Rights Watch.’
Many of those who performed were accused of supporting a ‘brutal regime’ (Picture: Fayez Nureldine/ AFP via Getty Images)
Following the backlash to performing at the festival, comedian Tim Dillon said he initially accepted an offer to do one performance for £279,000.
Discussing why he accepted the offer on his podcast, he said: ‘Do I have issues with the policies towards freedom of speech? Of course I do, but I believe in my own financial wellbeing.
‘They’re paying me enough money to look the other way.’
However, he later revealed his performance had been cancelled because Saudi authorities were ‘unhappy’ with comments he’d made about the treatment of migrant workers and other human rights issues.
Comment now
Comments
