    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [September 6, 2001]
    [Pages 1078-1082]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Departure for Toledo, Ohio, With President Vicente Fox of Mexico and an Exchange With Reporters
    September 6, 2001

        President Bush. Thank you very much. The President and I are about
    to get on Marine One and then Air Force One and fly to Toledo, Ohio. I
    look forward to a joint appearance in the heartland of America. We're
    going to have a great day in Toledo.
        We had a great day here yesterday as well. Not only did we have a
    successful state dinner last night, but we had a series of meetings that
    confirmed our close relationship and built on our trust. As I said,
    Mexico is an incredibly important part of the United States' foreign
    policy. It is our most important relationship, because Mexico is our
    neighbor, and neighbors must work together. And we do.
        We're confronting a series of opportunities and issues. Over the
    past hours, we discussed the importance of NAFTA, not only between
    Canada and Mexico and the United States but free trade throughout the
    hemisphere.
        We discussed a variety of issues that relate to trade. Trucking is
    an issue about which we had a long discussion. Mexican trucks ought to
    be moving in the United States. I call upon Congress to take that
    provision out of the appropriations bill. Otherwise, I will veto the
    bill.
        We talked about some commodity issues that we have faced. We had an
    issue on avocados, for example. For those of you avocado lovers, you'll
    be pleased to hear that we've solved that problem, and I believe the
    President is pleased with the progress we're making.
        When we trade as much as we do, there are going to be issues that
    inevitably arise. And we will deal with those with mutual respect and
    honest discourse.
        Secondly, I'm pleased to report that we've made great progress in
    cooperation in fighting crime. The President told me yesterday about
    some additional criminals who have been arrested in Mexico. This is a
    crime-fighting President. He is dedicated to working with our law
    enforcement officials to interdict drugs and guns and ``coyotes'' on the
    border. And Mr. President, I appreciate your effort.
        Our Congress ought to change the decertification process that, to
    me, sends the wrong signal to our friends to the south. To have an
    annual certification process really I don't think is fair to Mexico, and
    I think it's counterproductive. And I hope they change the law on
    decertification.
        And finally, an area that has gained a lot of interest because it's
    an important issue, of course, is the issue of migration. We've had a
    lot of frank discussions on migration. We share a lot of principles:
    one, that we both recognize how important the contribution to our
    economy the Mexican workers have made; that we want people treated with
    respect; that we both have a mutual and shared responsibility to make
    sure our border is safe and that we enforce the border; that I hope to
    come forward with a program that will pass the Congress,

    [[Page 1079]]

    that deals with guestworkers with some sense of normalization. And I
    would like to do that as soon as possible.
        There's obviously a sense of urgency in the President's message. I
    hear that sense of urgency, and my administration is willing to work as
    hard as we possibly can to get something done in a constructive fashion.
        Mr. President, I think this is a continuation on the road for trust,
    respect, and cooperation. And I want to thank you very much for your
    coming here. I appreciate so very much you bringing your beautiful
    wife. I look forward to our trip to
    Toledo and then our dinner tonight at the Blair House with the
    President.
        Mr. President.
        President Fox. Okay, I will not have much more to add on this
    summary of what great has been these 2 days to us Mexicans and to us in
    Mexico. The trust factor, no doubt that is key. And these 2 days have
    been a great opportunity to advance in our conversations, in our frank
    speaking--all of this aimed at increasing that trust
        And for the rest, I'm fully recognized and totally honored on the
    warm reception we have had, on the opportunity, extended opportunity, to
    discuss and dialog on different issues and matters with President Bush.
    And so, to me, if I would describe this, it's a process, a process that
    started back in Mexico in our first formal meeting, a process that has
    continued on an everyday basis by our working teams. And this I would
    call a station, one first station, which has been this state visit to
    the United States, where we had the opportunity to review the issues, to
    advance on each of the issues, and to keep on the commitment to work
    hard for the coming months and the coming years.
        So that's totally satisfactory to us. I really thank the American
    people for the warm welcome we have had, and specifically from Mr. Bush
    and his lovely wife, the attentions we have had are just something that
    we--over-exceeded any expectations that we would have had.

    [At this point, President Fox made brief remarks in Spanish, and a
    translation was not provided.]

    Immigration Policy

        Q. Mr. President, even with this sense of urgency on immigration,
    tell me how difficult it will be to get a deal in the next year. And
    when you do give legal status to undocumented immigrants, how will you
    justify that action to the millions of Mexicans still waiting in line
    for legal entry and the millions more people who are living in this
    country now after plowing through the legal process?
        President Bush. Right. Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated Press], you've
    just identified one of the complexities of the migration issue. I
    explained this to President Fox, that there are some--many in our
    country who are undocumented. And we want to make sure that their labor
    is legal. And so part of the issue is, how do we match a willing
    employer with a willing employee, to recognize the value of the work and
    to legalize that part of the process? And that's where we need to think
    creatively on a guestworker program.
        I mean, the truth of the matter is that if somebody is willing to do
    jobs others in America aren't willing to do, we ought to welcome that
    person to the country, and we ought to make that a legal part of our
    economy. We ought not to penalize an employer who's trying to get a job
    done who hires somebody who's willing to do that kind of work.
        So that's part of the complexity. The second half of your question
    really does point out another problem that we have to work through, and
    that is there are--one of the things I have told the President is, I am
    willing to consider ways to--for a guestworker to earn a green card
    status. And yet I fully recognize there are a lot of people who have
    stood in line, who have said, ``I'll abide by the laws of the United
    States.'' And we're trying to work through a formula that will not
    penalize the person

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    who's chosen the legal route and, at the same time, recognizes the
    contribution that the undocumented has made.
        That is part of the reason I say this is an incredibly complex
    issue. It is complex to the point where my administration is going to
    spend a lot of time on resolving that type of question. But to make
    matters even more complicated, we've got to work with the Congress, and
    we've got to come up with a solution that will--Congress can accept.
        Now, I fully understand President Fox's desire for us to expedite
    our--to come up with a solution quickly, to expedite the process. And
    we're going to do that. I think one of the useful parts of this visit is
    for me to be able to sit down face to face, ojo a ojo, and to talk about
    why this is a complex issue within the country. That's precisely part of
    the issue.
        Q. You don't sound like you can get it done in 4 months, though.
        President Bush. Well, he's asked that we do it within the year. One
    thing he will find is that we will put 100 percent effort into it during
    the year, and I hope we can come up with a solution. I want to
    accommodate my friend.
        He's got a very important role to play, and that is as a spokesman
    for Mexican nationals living in this country, as someone who is deeply
    concerned about their future, their lives. And I completely understand
    that, and I can assure the President and the people of Mexico, we have
    heard his call. He is a strong, forceful leader, and we will do
    everything we can to come up with a solution to this complex problem.
        Q. Mr. President, along those same lines----
        President Bush. Him? Which President? [Laughter]
        Q. President Bush, I'm sorry.
        President Bush. Here we go again, six to nothing. [Laughter]
        Q. Sir, could you be more specific as to whether or not, among the
    set of issues, or the set of values or principles that you share on
    immigration, you share specifically the goal of finishing this
    negotiation by the end of the year? And----
        President Bush. I share the idea of working as hard as we possibly
    can. Listen, we came--the President came to Washington--I'm sorry to
    interrupt you.
        Q. Well, I'm sorry. I just wanted to say----
        President Bush. Actually, I'm not sorry to interrupt you. I did it--
    it's an old trick here. [Laughter]
        Q. I just wanted to ask you if--what would the United States want to
    see in return? Something----
        President Bush. In return?
        Q. In return for this negotiation, and for maybe regularizing a
    number of Mexican--illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States.
        President Bush. Well, I think--first of all, I think that--I don't
    think we ought to view this issue necessarily as a quid pro quo issue.
    This is an issue that we must confront regardless of a Mexican response.
    This is an employment issue in the United States. We've got employers
    who can't find workers and, therefore, then employ undocumented workers.
    And under our law, that's illegal. And it seems like, to me, we ought to
    have a direct and honest assessment of reality. But we are getting what
    we wanted from Mexico, regardless of the details of this particular
    issue, and that is strong cooperation. That's all we can ask.
        And the President is been very forward-leaning in working with us on
    a variety of matters, including better border enforcement and making
    sure we find those ``coyotes'' who are gathering illegals or
    undocumented folks and trying to run them into our country for profit. I
    can't think of anything worse. And yet, this administration and this
    Government and our Governments are cooperating very closely on ferreting
    out those people who are willing to prey on innocent hard-working
    people, and stop that kind of activity. That's the kind of cooperation
    we expect and we're getting.

    [[Page 1081]]

    Microsoft Antitrust Case

        Q. Mr. President, why are you abandoning the Clinton
    administration's attempt to break up Microsoft? Will this help
    consumers? And did you sign off on this decision?
        President Bush. He's asking about a legal matter, Mr. President.
        During the course of the campaign and throughout my administration,
    I have made it abundantly clear that on issues relating to lawsuits,
    ongoing lawsuits, that I expect the Justice Department to handle that in
    a way that--in a way that brings honor and thought to the process. I
    respect and hold our Attorney General in high
    esteem, and I honor the work he's done. And I'm going to leave it at
    that.
        Q. You're satisfied with the decision?
        President Bush. I am satisfied with the fact that John
    Ashcroft is doing a fine job as the Attorney
    General.

    [A question was asked in Spanish, President Fox answered the question in
    Spanish, and a translation was not provided.]

        President Bush. For those of you who don't speak Spanish, he said,
    ``President Bush's tax cut came right at the right time.'' [Laughter]

    Social Security Surplus

        Q. Mr. President, on that same rough subject, when you met with
    Republican leaders this morning, did you promise them, as they describe
    it, that no--that every dime of Social Security will be protected? Does
    that mean you will not sign any bills that even temporarily take from
    it?
        President Bush. I told the Republican----
        Q. And President Fox is welcome to take a swing at that, too.
        President Bush. He probably doesn't want to. I told the Republican
    leaders, like I told Mr. Daschle and I
    will tell Mr. Gephardt tomorrow, we can
    work together to avoid dipping into Social Security. I have repeatedly
    said the only time to use Social Security money is in times of war,
    times of recession, or times of severe emergency. And I mean that. I
    mean that.
        I think it is best for me to start working in a cooperative fashion
    with the Members of Congress, start by saying, ``Let's work together to
    make sure that our budgets don't cause us to dip into Social Security.''
    And of course, I've always got the ultimate way to make sure we bring
    fiscal sanity into Washington. That's what we call a veto, Mr.
    President. But rather than come from the negative perspective, my
    attitude, as we begin the fall session, is to say, ``We can work
    together. Let's do so.''
        I'll repeat to the American people, there is ample money coming into
    our Government to fund our priorities. And what we need is fiscal
    discipline in Washington, DC. The tax cut that we passed was a very
    important move to make sure our economy begins to gather momentum and
    grow.
        The President knows what I know: When our economy is ill or slow or
    not meeting expectations, it affects our neighborhood. He's getting
    blamed for something that's taking place in America, and that's not
    fair. And so our tax relief plan is a part of an economic growth
    package.
        I urge the Congress to pass an energy package. That's a job creation
    package. That's part of economic growth. I urge the Congress to pass
    trade promotion authority. If people are interested in growing our
    economy so that there are more jobs available, then they ought to not
    only herald the tax relief plan; they ought to be thinking about how to
    pass an energy package and a trade promotion authority package as well.
    That's important for growth. We ought to be thinking, in Washington, DC,
    how to grow the economy.
        Now, I realize, Mr. President, sometimes there are second-guessers
    in the political process, and there are some in Washington who appear to
    be second-guessing the tax relief plan. My guess is, is that they
    probably want to raise taxes. If they're against

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    relief, the fundamental question is what they're for. And I suspect, if
    they're against one thing, they must be for raising taxes. And my
    argument to them is, that would hurt the economy.
        The best way for us to continue economic growth is to have a pro-
    growth plan in place and have fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. I
    look forward to working with the members of both parties to insist upon
    and implement a package that is fiscally disciplined. And we can do
    that, and I'm confident we can do that.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:30 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Martha Sahagun de Fox, wife of
    President Fox.