Actor Richard Gere said Thursday he is "deeply ashamed" of the rhetoric toward migrants coming from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers, speaking at the launch of a joint migration initiative by the Hertie School Centre for Fundamental Rights and The Gere Foundation in Berlin, Germany.

Gere delivered remarks praising the long history of migration and its contributions to society. "And yet, somehow, in today's debates, we often speak about migrants, about refugees, as if they were different from us," he said.

What the Right Is Saying

Republican lawmakers and administration officials have defended their approach to immigration as necessary for national security and legal compliance. They argue that enforcing immigration laws and securing the border are essential governmental functions, not expressions of hostility toward migrants themselves.

Gere's comments drew scrutiny over his characterization of U.S. policy. "Did you ever imagine that someone as crazy as this would become President of the United States and work to destroy it?" Gere asked during his Berlin remarks, referring to Trump.

At the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain's Goya Awards in February 2025, Gere called Trump a "bully" and a "thug." He warned about authoritarianism. "Authoritarianism takes us all over," he said at the time. "We have to be vigilant, we have to be alert, we have to be energetic. We have to be brave. We have to be courageous."

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive advocates and immigration rights groups have long echoed similar concerns about dehumanizing language used to describe migrants. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called for more compassionate rhetoric around immigration policy.

Gere referenced what he described as terminology being used by the U.S. government. "I think the term I was actually given today – apparently the U.S. government is calling aliens," he said. "Aliens, that's the latest. It had been vermin, now it's aliens. I'm deeply ashamed of this, I want you to know. They belong to another category of human beings, as if their hopes and fears and aspirations were somehow less legitimate than our own."

The actor reflected on his family history during the speech. "So, we all left and our parents left, our grandparents, to make a journey in search of safety, of opportunity, dignity, or simply to look for a better future," Gere said. "Human history is in many ways the history of migration, of movement."

Gere has been an outspoken critic of President Trump for years. Earlier this week at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway, he called Trump a "maniac" and referenced a recent trip to Dachau, one of the concentration camps used by the Nazis during the Holocaust. "We have to see the cues — this dictatorship of the monsters — how quickly it happens," Gere said.

What the Numbers Show

The Trump administration has taken aggressive action on immigration since taking office. Executive orders have targeted sanctuary cities, restricted asylum processing at the southern border, and increased interior enforcement operations.

ICE arrests in the first months of the administration increased significantly compared to previous years, according to agency data. Immigration court backlogs continue to grow, with hundreds of thousands of cases pending.

The administration's use of the term "aliens" follows longstanding legal terminology found in U.S. immigration code. The word has been used in federal law for decades, though critics argue its connotations have shifted in contemporary usage.

The Bottom Line

Gere's remarks represent one high-profile criticism among many from artists and entertainers who have opposed Trump administration policies. His decision to leave the United States to live in Spain in 2024 underscores the personal dimensions some opponents attach to their disagreements with federal policy.

The debate over immigration rhetoric reflects broader tensions between enforcement-focused approaches favored by Republicans and more humanitarian framings preferred by Democrats and advocacy groups. Both sides maintain their positions reflect genuine concern for either legal order or human dignity, respectively.

Gere is expected to continue his advocacy work through the joint initiative with the Hertie School Centre for Fundamental Rights.