A city councilman in Santa Clarita doesn’t plan on apologizing for shouting out that he is a “proud racist” during a recent anti-illegal immigration rally in the suburban community in Los Angeles County.

Bob Kellar, a 10-year councilman and two-time mayor, said his words were taken out of context, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

From the Times: The councilman’s words have “ignited an angry war of words in a suburban community over whether the longtime civic leader is a hatemonger who should be driven from office or a patriot unafraid to speak out for fellow Americans.”

You can see his remarks below on YouTube from the Jan. 16 anti-immigration rally in Santa Clarita.

Kellar said that his remarks represented a frustration for illegal immigration, not animosity towards nonwhites.

According to the Times article, Kellar said those remarks caused some people to accuse him of being racist, to which he replied: If believing in America causes people to think he’s a racist, “then I’m a proud racist.”

Kellar maintains he has no regrets over his comments.