For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 15, 2006
8:01 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good
evening. I've asked for a few minutes of your time to discuss
a matter of national importance -- the reform of America's
immigration system.
The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions,
and in recent weeks, Americans have seen those emotions
on display. On the streets of major cities, crowds have
rallied in support of those in our country illegally. At
our southern border, others have organized to stop illegal
immigrants from coming in. Across the country, Americans
are trying to reconcile these contrasting images. And in
Washington, the debate over immigration reform has reached
a time of decision. Tonight, I will make it clear where
I stand, and where I want to lead our country on this vital
issue.
We must begin by recognizing the problems
with our immigration system. For decades, the United States
has not been in complete control of its borders. As a result,
many who want to work in our economy have been able to sneak
across our border, and millions have stayed.
Once here, illegal immigrants live in the
shadows of our society. Many use forged documents to get
jobs, and that makes it difficult for employers to verify
that the workers they hire are legal. Illegal immigration
puts pressure on public schools and hospitals, it strains
state and local budgets, and brings crime to our communities.
These are real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast
majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work
hard, support their families, practice their faith, and
lead responsible lives. They are a part of American life,
but they are beyond the reach and protection of American
law.
We're a nation of laws, and we must enforce
our laws. We're also a nation of immigrants, and we must
uphold that tradition, which has strengthened our country
in so many ways. These are not contradictory goals. America
can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same
time. We will fix the problems created by illegal immigration,
and we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and
fair. So I support comprehensive immigration reform that
will accomplish five clear objectives.
First, the United States must secure its
borders. This is a basic responsibility of a sovereign nation.
It is also an urgent requirement of our national security.
Our objective is straightforward: The border should be open
to trade and lawful immigration, and shut to illegal immigrants,
as well as criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.
I was a governor of a state that has a 1,200-mile
border with Mexico. So I know how difficult it is to enforce
the border, and how important it is. Since I became President,
we've increased funding for border security by 66 percent,
and expanded the Border Patrol from about 9,000 to 12,000
agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing
a fine job in difficult circumstances, and over the past
five years, they have apprehended and sent home about six
million people entering America illegally.
Despite this progress, we do not yet have
full control of the border, and I am determined to change
that. Tonight I'm calling on Congress to provide funding
for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at
the border. By the end of 2008, we'll increase the number
of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these
new agents are deployed, we'll have more than doubled the
size of the Border Patrol during my presidency.
At the same time, we're launching the most
technologically advanced border security initiative in American
history. We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors,
and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas.
We'll employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and unmanned
aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has
the best technology in the world, and we will ensure that
the Border Patrol has the technology they need to do their
job and secure our border.
Training thousands of new Border Patrol
agents and bringing the most advanced technology to the
border will take time. Yet the need to secure our border
is urgent. So I'm announcing several immediate steps to
strengthen border enforcement during this period of transition:
One way to help during this transition is
to use the National Guard. So, in coordination with governors,
up to 6,000 Guard members will be deployed to our southern
border. The Border Patrol will remain in the lead. The Guard
will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance
systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle
barriers, building patrol roads, and providing training.
Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement
activities -- that duty will be done by the Border Patrol.
This initial commitment of Guard members would last for
a period of one year. After that, the number of Guard forces
will be reduced as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies
come online. It is important for Americans to know that
we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, to
respond to natural disasters, and to help secure our border.
The United States is not going to militarize
the southern border. Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend.
We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security
on both sides of the border, to confront common problems
like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce illegal immigration.
Another way to help during this period of
transition is through state and local law enforcement in
our border communities. So we'll increase federal funding
for state and local authorities assisting the Border Patrol
on targeted enforcement missions. We will give state and
local authorities the specialized training they need to
help federal officers apprehend and detain illegal immigrants.
State and local law enforcement officials are an important
part of our border security and they need to be a part of
our strategy to secure our borders.
The steps I've outlined will improve our
ability to catch people entering our country illegally.
At the same time, we must ensure that every illegal immigrant
we catch crossing our southern border is returned home.
More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch
crossing the southern border are Mexicans, and most are
sent back home within 24 hours. But when we catch illegal
immigrants from other country [sic] it is not as easy to
send them home. For many years, the government did not have
enough space in our detention facilities to hold them while
the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into
our society and asked to return for a court date. When the
date arrived, the vast majority did not show up. This practice,
called "catch and release," is unacceptable, and
we will end it.
We're taking several important steps to
meet this goal. We've expanded the number of beds in our
detention facilities, and we will continue to add more.
We've expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation
time. And we're making it clear to foreign governments that
they must accept back their citizens who violate our immigration
laws. As a result of these actions, we've ended "catch
and release" for illegal immigrants from some countries.
And I will ask Congress for additional funding and legal
authority, so we can end "catch and release" at
the southern border once and for all. When people know that
they'll be caught and sent home if they enter our country
illegally, they will be less likely to try to sneak in.
Second, to secure our border, we must create
a temporary worker program. The reality is that there are
many people on the other side of our border who will do
anything to come to America to work and build a better life.
They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or
hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This
creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols
alone will not stop. To secure the border effectively, we
must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across.
Therefore, I support a temporary worker
program that would create a legal path for foreign workers
to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period
of time. This program would match willing foreign workers
with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not
doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be
required to pass criminal background checks. And temporary
workers must return to their home country at the conclusion
of their stay.
A temporary worker program would meet the
needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants
a way to provide for their families while respecting the
law. A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal
of human smugglers, and make it less likely that people
would risk their lives to cross the border. It would ease
the financial burden on state and local governments, by
replacing illegal workers with lawful taxpayers. And above
all, a temporary worker program would add to our security
by making certain we know who is in our country and why
they are here.
Third, we need to hold employers to account
for the workers they hire. It is against the law to hire
someone who is in this country illegally. Yet businesses
often cannot verify the legal status of their employees
because of the widespread problem of document fraud. Therefore,
comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system
for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part
of that system should be a new identification card for every
legal foreign worker. This card should use biometric technology,
such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. A
tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law, and leave
employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making
it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country,
we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally
in the first place.
Fourth, we must face the reality that millions
of illegal immigrants are here already. They should not
be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty,
and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair to those who are
here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of illegal
immigration.
Some in this country argue that the solution
is to deport every illegal immigrant, and that any proposal
short of this amounts to amnesty. I disagree. It is neither
wise, nor realistic to round up millions of people, many
with deep roots in the United States, and send them across
the border. There is a rational middle ground between granting
an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant,
and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes
there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed
the border recently, and someone who has worked here for
many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean
record.
I believe that illegal immigrants who have
roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay
a meaningful penalty for breaking the law, to pay their
taxes, to learn English, and to work in a job for a number
of years. People who meet these conditions should be able
to apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic,
and they will have to wait in line behind those who played
by the rules and followed the law. What I've just described
is not amnesty, it is a way for those who have broken the
law to pay their debt to society, and demonstrate the character
that makes a good citizen.
Fifth, we must honor the great American
tradition of the melting pot, which has made us one nation
out of many peoples. The success of our country depends
upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society, and
embrace our common identity as Americans. Americans are
bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation of
our history, respect for the flag we fly, and an ability
to speak and write the English language. English is also
the key to unlocking the opportunity of America. English
allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery,
from cleaning offices to running offices, from a life of
low-paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their
own. When immigrants assimilate and advance in our society,
they realize their dreams, they renew our spirit, and they
add to the unity of America.
Tonight, I want to speak directly to members
of the House and the Senate: An immigration reform bill
needs to be comprehensive, because all elements of this
problem must be addressed together, or none of them will
be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill.
The Senate should act by the end of this month so we can
work out the differences between the two bills, and Congress
can pass a comprehensive bill for me to sign into law.
America needs to conduct this debate on
immigration in a reasoned and respectful tone. Feelings
run deep on this issue, and as we work it out, all of us
need to keep some things in mind. We cannot build a unified
country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone's
fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political
gain. We must always remember that real lives will be affected
by our debates and decisions, and that every human being
has dignity and value no matter what their citizenship papers
say.
I know many of you listening tonight have
a parent or a grandparent who came here from another country
with dreams of a better life. You know what freedom meant
to them, and you know that America is a more hopeful country
because of their hard work and sacrifice. As President,
I've had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds,
and hear what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda
Naval Hospital, Laura and I met a wounded Marine named Guadalupe
Denogean. Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean came to the United
States from Mexico when he was a boy. He spent his summers
picking crops with his family, and then he volunteered for
the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able. During
the liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean
was seriously injured. And when asked if he had any requests,
he made two: a promotion for the corporal who helped rescue
him, and the chance to become an American citizen. And when
this brave Marine raised his right hand, and swore an oath
to become a citizen of the country he had defended for more
than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.
We will always be proud to welcome people
like Guadalupe Denogean as fellow Americans. Our new immigrants
are just what they've always been -- people willing to risk
everything for the dream of freedom. And America remains
what she has always been: the great hope on the horizon,
an open door to the future, a blessed and promised land.
We honor the heritage of all who come here, no matter where
they come from, because we trust in our country's genius
for making us all Americans -- one nation under God.
Thank you, and good night.
END 8:18 P.M. EDT
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