John Oliver got serious — and personal — on Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight,” when he tackled the immigration debate and shut down that whole “Get in line” argument.
“If you are going to say ‘Get in line’ to people, you should at least make sure they actually have a line to stand in,” Oliver said, pointing out how limited the paths to citizenship actually are.
And he should know. The HBO personality came here on a work visa and sweated it out each year until he finally became a permanent resident.
“I am biased here. I have been through this system, and I can tell you it’s rough,” Oliver said. “When I finally got my green card years ago, it was sent to ‘The Daily Show’ and they surprised me with it at work, presenting it to me with a slice of apple pie and a Budweiser as a joke.”
“Thing is, I was so relieved, I nearly burst into tears,” he continued. “That is when I realized I had been worried about my immigration status every single day. And I was very, very lucky: I had a lot of help, and more importantly, I had a path to come here.”
Watch the video above.