At the annual 2019 Comic-Con festival in San Diego, politics didn’t fail to get involved. During the panel for the new Amazon series, “Carnival Rows,” Orlando Bloom made a few comments about Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Bloom claimed that Faulconer left the interactive activity because it featured immigrant characters. In the game, players were either given a ‘human’ or ‘creature’ card; Bloom later explained that ‘creatures’ were described as “scrappy immigrants trying to make it in an oppressive land.” During the panel, the actor said that after Mayor Faulconer was given a creature card, he said, “Oh no, I can’t have anything to do with immigration,” and left.
While Bloom’s acting skills may be impressive, his decency and honesty are clearly lacking. Perhaps being immersed in the toxic culture of Hollywood for all these years has gotten to Bloom’s head, leading him to regurgitate typical leftist talking points.
After Bloom’s comments began trending on Twitter, thanks to fans live streaming the panel, the Mayor decided to respond. Ashley Bailey, a spokesperson for Faulconer, further explained the mayor’s quick exit from the exhibition. Bailey told Variety, “The mayor enjoyed visiting several studio installations set up throughout San Diego this week, and unfortunately there was a slight wait there [Carnival Crows panel], and he had to move along. To be clear, the Mayor never even went inside the activation for this show as there was a wait.”
Bailey went on to defend the mayor, pointing out the fact that Faulconer has long been a supporter of immigrants. She explained that “Mayor Faulconer and his administration actively work with nonprofits and local agencies to provide shelter to migrant families, and has a long record of advocating for comprehensive immigration reform.”
San Diego is America’s largest border city, and according to local station KGTV, immigrants make up 25 percent of its population. Mayor Faulconer’s political record has made his stance on immigration clear to his supporters. In February, the Republican mayor introduced a five-year plan to make San Diego more welcoming to all immigrants.
“Immigrants from around the globe help define our city. San Diego has long been a destination for people in search of opportunity, refugees looking to rebuild their lives, and new citizens who are proud to call America home,” Faulconer said in a press conference nearly six months before Comic-Con. The plan included $70,000 for an immigrant affairs manager who can coordinate existing efforts to serve immigrant and refugee communities.
Faulconer and his staff have worked hard to make San Diego the most welcoming city in America. The mayor has always been an advocate for legal immigration, and his political career has made that abundantly clear. His offices have helped make “scrappy immigrants trying to make it in an oppressive land” feel more welcomed and supported by the San Diego community.
When asked why the mayor had different goals than the Trump administration, his staff responded; “We do it differently here. Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, it doesn’t matter. We want everybody to feel welcome here.”
Photo by Josh Esh
