Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Unexpected' Immigration Remarks On 'The View' Draw Praise: 'He Didn't Take The Bait'

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a candid and unexpected response when asked about the ICE crackdown and the wave of immigration protests during his appearance on "The View."

Instead of criticizing the Donald Trump administration, the Hollywood veteran urged fellow immigrants to "do things legal." He also expressed pride in having been embraced by America in the decades since he first moved to the country over fifty years ago.

Following his response, Arnold Schwarzenegger has received praise from netizens for not criticizing the government.

On Tuesday's edition of "The View," actor and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on the show to promote the second season of his Netflix action-comedy series "Fubar."

After the initial pleasantries and light banter as he settled into his seat, the 77-year-old was unexpectedly hit with a pointed question from Joy Behar about the nationwide protests sparked by the administration's increasingly strict immigration policies.

"You are an immigrant yourself - an immigrant of the country," Behar said. "Did you have a visceral reaction to what they're doing - what ICE is doing?"

Rather than launching into a long tirade criticizing the government, Schwarzenegger began by reflecting on his own immigration story and expressed his gratitude to America for all he has achieved since moving to the country over 50 years ago.

"I'm so proud and happy that I was embraced by the American people like that," he told the panel.

"Imagine - I came here at the age of 21 with absolutely nothing. And then to create a career like that," Schwarzenegger added, referencing his political, film, and bodybuilding career. "I mean, in no other country in the world could you do that. All of this is because of America."

After sharing his story, which drew a rousing response from the audience, Schwarzenegger then admonished his fellow immigrants to "do things legal," and emphasized that it is the "most important thing."

The former governor continued, "You've got 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."

To drive his point home, Schwarzenegger shared an analogy about how a guest in someone's home is expected to behave.

"When I go to someone's house, and I'm a guest, then I will do everything I can," Schwarzenegger stressed. "Keep things clean and to make my bed and to do everything that is the right thing to do rather than committing a crime, or being abusive or something like that, so that doesn't really work in this country."

Schwarzenegger's response garnered much praise from individuals online, with many calling it "unexpected" and stating that he didn't "take the bait."

"Do it legally. Contribute to the USA and be loyal and patriotic. Arnold is a great example. Why is it so hard for the people to understand?" one user wrote.

"Arnold nailed it. Legal immigrants chose America, they're guests, not victims," a different individual said.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger just moved up a notch in my book. That puts him at notch 1," another person commented.

Some users also poked fun at the panel of co-hosts, whom they claimed wanted the actor to criticize the government.

"This didn't go the way the View ladies thought it would," someone remarked.

"Respect to Arnold. They tried to trap him. You can tell that wasn't the answer they were looking for," another user commented.

Since taking office for a second term, Trump has made a number of significant changes to immigration rules.

He invoked the Alien Enemies Act on March 15, a law that allows a president to issue deportation orders to citizens of enemy nations under certain circumstances.

Using the act, Trump targeted alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which led to the deportation of over 100 Venezuelans, per NPR.

On his first day in office, Trump also signed an executive order to exclude children born to illegal migrants or temporary stay migrants from getting automatic citizenship.

This order was later contested by a number of immigration advocates and attorneys general.

Asylum seekers were also hit by one of Trump's policies, which placed a pause on all U.S. refugee programs and asylum applications through the southern border. These changes have also sparked a barrage of lawsuits and have left many refugees confused over their status in the country.