Bill Maher rips immigrants who refuse to adapt, says American values are not negotiable

Comedian Bill Maher argued Friday that immigrants must assimilate to American culture and accept certain fundamental values like gay rights, women's equality and free speech, saying those principles are "not White values," but liberal ones.

During his latest episode of HBOs "Real Time," Maher blasted both sides of the political spectrum for their approach to immigration within the country — adding that there is "no doubt" that Democrats and Republicans "went to extremes."

"If you want the American dream, you have to take the American values," he said.

However, a public policy professor at Penn State University told Fox News Digital that Maher had it wrong. 

DEM REP SETH MOULTON SAYS PARTY HAS NO IMMIGRATION PLAN, IS ONLY OPPOSITION TO TRUMP

"Biden's policy of open doors, and then Trump's policy of broken windows," Maher continued. "Now, I'm on the page of America doing what it used to do so well — stealing hard-working, talented immigrants from around the world and making them Americans."

He went on to point to his belief that "something has changed" in the attitude of those immigrating to the United States who may no longer believe they should adapt to western cultural standards.

"Now, most immigrants still want to assimilate, but some now have this other attitude of, melting pot? F--- you, you melt," Maher said, while cracking a joke. "Look, you dont have to love everything about America. We dont. Thats why Yelp was invented."

"But, you know, if you do get past ICE, Americas actually pretty cool," he continued. "We say, You do you. Eat the food your grandma cooked. Speak another language at home. Celebrate religious holidays. We welcome your food, your art, your fashion, your first ladies."

But according to Maher, the price of immigration comes with a cost.

"But you have to answer one question: Do you like Western civilization? Because thats what we are. And thats not negotiable," he said.

BILL MAHER DEFENDS WESTERN CIVILIZATION ON REAL TIME, CITING REMARKS FROM JD VANCE

"Honor killings, not letting women show their faces, polygamy, cousin f---ing, female genital mutilation — theres lots of stuff we dont do here, and its non-negotiable," Maher said. "And its not White values. These are liberal values. People fought and died to establish them. And its not racist to say if you want to come here to help form a more perfect union, great. But some things are too fundamental to change."

But the framing itself drew pushback from Nicole Kreisberg, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy and the Department of Sociology at Penn State, who told Fox News Digital that Maher had the country's history backward.

"In my view, Maher makes it seem as if America is built on a foundation of the 'melting pot,' rather than on 'assimilation,'" Kreisberg said. "To me, America is built on an attitude of 'assimilate or don't come.'"

Kreisberg said that immigrants from all countries have historically been expected to assimilate to American