Gene Simmons dishes on illegal immigration
Gene Simmons came to DC to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and to testify in the Senate about a bill to end the “radio loophole.” The rocker weighed in on immigration, Zohran Mamdani, and his recent car crash with The Post. Getty Images
KISS frontman Gene Simmons expressed support for the White House’s crackdown on illegal immigration this week during a high-profile visit to Washington, D.C., where he will attend events ranging from the Kennedy Center Honors to congressional hearings.
The 76-year-old Israeli-born rocker, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, told The Post that migrants seeking entry into the country should “wait in line” just as he did.
“There are laws on the books. If you break the law, you’re a criminal. Illegal immigrants, undocumented — everybody uses a political term,” Simmons said. “An illegal immigrant is a criminal. I understand everyone comes from hardship, but that argument doesn’t fly with me. My mother was in a concentration camp and our whole family was wiped out in the Holocaust.”
Simmons’s political engagement comes amid a whirlwind D.C. trip, where he is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Dec. 9 about the American Music Fairness Act, which he says addresses a “loophole” affecting a new generation of musicians, including his own children.
The KISS bassist and co-lead singer is also set to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award on Sunday alongside other surviving original members, where he plans to greet President Trump, who announced the honorees in August.
Reflecting on immigration, Simmons noted that many migrants come from countries ruled by authoritarian leaders, such as Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. “I know it’s tough, really tough. But we have a process, and my mother and I both waited years before we were allowed into America. The American Dream is alive,” he said.
The Queens native also weighed in on New York’s Socialist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling for a cautious approach. “Give the guy a chance and see what he does. Before the election, there was a lot of talk. He has been duly elected by the people of New York,” Simmons said. “The soundbites and the research I’ve done on him don’t appeal to me. But Werner von Braun was a former Nazi of the German war machine, and the first thing America did was hire him.” He added a personal note, recalling, “In fact, when KISS toured, we played the Von Braun Civic Center in Alabama.”
Known as much for his political opinions as his tongue, Simmons joked that he’ll use both when testifying about the music law: “You can call me Mr. Glib,” he quipped.
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