    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 27, 2006]
    [Pages 572-576]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Naturalization Ceremony
    March 27, 2006

        Thank you all. Thank you very much. It's good to be with you. I am
    grateful for the chance to witness this joyous and uplifting ceremony.
    It is inspiring to see people of many different ages, many different
    countries raise their hands and swear an oath to become citizens of the
    United States of America.
        For some of you, this day comes after a long and difficult journey.
    For all of you, this is a defining moment in your lives. America is now
    more than your home; America is your country. I welcome you to this free
    nation. I congratulate you and your families, and it's an honor to call
    you fellow Americans.
        I appreciate the Attorney General. Dr. Gonzales, thank you, sir. And, Alfonso,
    it's good to be up here with you. I want to thank the president general
    of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ms. Presley
    Wagoner, for letting us use this
    fantastic facility for this important ceremony. Thank you for singing
    the national anthem so beautifully.
        It is fitting that we hold this ceremony at the home of the
    Daughters of the American Revolution. The Daughters of the American
    Revolution were the daughters of immigrants, because the leaders of our
    Revolution all had ancestors who came from abroad. As new citizens of
    the United States, you now walk in the footsteps of millions. And with
    the oath you've sworn, you're every bit as American as those who came
    before you.
        Our immigrant heritage has enriched America's history. It continues
    to shape our society. Each generation of immigrants brings a renewal to
    our national character and adds vitality to our culture. Newcomers have
    a special way of appreciating the opportunities of America, and when
    they seize those opportunities, our whole nation benefits.
        In the 1970s, an immigrant from Ireland--or the 1790s, an immigrant
    from Ireland designed the White House, right where Laura and I live. And he helped build the Capitol. In the
    1990s, an immigrant from Russia helped create
    the Internet search engine Google. In between, new citizens have made
    contributions in virtually every professional field, and millions of
    newcomers have strengthened their communities through quiet lives of
    hard work and family and faith.
        America's welcoming society is more than a cultural tradition; it is
    a fundamental promise of our democracy. Our Constitution does not limit
    citizenship by background or birth. Instead, our Nation is bound
    together by a shared love of liberty and a conviction that all people
    are created with dignity and value. Through the generations, Americans
    have upheld that vision by welcoming new citizens from across the globe,
    and that has made us stand apart.
        One of my predecessors, President Ronald Reagan, used to say this:
    ``You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You
    can go to live in Japan, but you cannot become Japanese. But anyone,
    from any corner of the world, can come to live in America and be an
    American.''
        The new Americans we welcome today include men and women from 20
    countries on 5 continents. Their ages range from 18 to 59, and they work
    as teachers and small-business managers and nurses and software
    engineers and other professions.
        One new citizen is Veronica Pacheco.
    Veronica first came to the United States from Bolivia 15 years ago. In
    2000, she moved here permanently and found a job at a catering company
    in Virginia. Every Friday and Saturday, she spent 5 hours studying
    English at the local community college. Over the years, she saved enough

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    money to buy her own townhouse. Here's what Veronica says about America:
    ``This is a country of opportunity. If you want to be successful, you
    can do it. You can have your dreams come true here.''
        Another new citizen is Maisoon Shahin.
    Maisoon grew up in Kuwait and moved to the United States with her
    husband 7 years ago. She enrolled in the community college to improve
    her English, took a job teaching marines to speak Arabic. Here's what
    Maisoon said: ``The United States is a symbol of justice, freedom, and
    liberty. I love that. Here they respect people because they are people.
    I feel I am honored, and I feel that I'm loved.''
        America is stronger and more dynamic when we welcome new citizens
    like Maisoon and Veronica to our democracy. With that in mind, I've called on
    Congress to increase the number of green cards that can lead to
    citizenship. I support increasing the number of visas available for
    foreign-born workers in highly skilled fields like science, medicine,
    and technology. I've signed legislation creating a new Office of
    Citizenship at the Department of Homeland Security to promote knowledge
    of citizenship rights and procedures.
        And after September the 11th, I signed an Executive order making
    foreign-born members of our military immediately eligible for
    citizenship, because those willing to risk their lives for our democracy
    should be full participants in our democracy. Over the past 4 years,
    more than 20,000 men and women in uniform have become citizens of the
    country they serve. They've taken the citizenship oath on the decks of
    aircraft carriers, on deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and at
    military bases around the world. At Bethesda Naval Medical Center, I
    watched a brave marine born in Mexico
    raise his right hand and become a citizen of the country he had defended
    in uniform for more than 26 years. It's a privilege to be the Commander
    in Chief of men and women like these, and I'm proud to call them fellow
    citizens.
        All who swear the oath of citizenship are doing more than completing
    a legal process; they're making a lifelong pledge to support the values
    and the laws of America. The pledge comes with great privileges, and it
    also comes with great responsibilities. I believe every new citizen has
    an obligation to learn the customs and values that define our Nation,
    including liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God,
    tolerance for others, and the English language.
        Those of us who have been citizens for many years have
    responsibilities as well. Helping new citizens assimilate is a mission
    that unites Americans by choice and by birth. I appreciate the work of
    patriotic organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution.
    Some of the new Americans here today might have used DAR's Manual for
    Citizenship to prepare you for the citizenship test. They obviously did
    a pretty good job, since you passed. [Laughter]
        Many other organizations, from churches to businesses to civic
    organizations, are answering the call to help new citizens succeed in
    our country. And I am grateful for all those who reach out to people who
    are going to become citizens.
        Government is doing its part to help new citizens succeed as well.
    The Office of Citizenship has created a new official guide for
    immigrants. This free publication includes practical advice on tasks
    like finding housing and jobs or enrolling your children in school or
    paying taxes.
        We're conducting outreach programs with faith-based and community
    groups to offer civics and English language courses. My administration
    will continue to pursue policies that open a path to education and jobs,
    promote ownership, and to give every citizen a chance to realize the
    American Dream.
        Our Nation is now in the midst of the debate on immigration policy,
    and it's good. Immigration is an important topic. Immigration is also an
    emotional topic, and we

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    need to maintain our perspective as we conduct this debate. At its core,
    immigration is a sign of a confident and successful nation. It says
    something about our country that people around the world are willing to
    leave their homes and leave their families and risk everything to come
    to America. Their talent and hard work and love of freedom have helped
    make America the leader of the world. And our generation will ensure
    that America remains a beacon of liberty and the most hopeful society
    the world has ever known.
        America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws.
    All of you are here because you followed the rules and you waited your
    turn in the citizenship line. Yet some violate our immigration laws and
    enter our country illegally, and that undermines the system for all of
    us. America should not have to choose between being a welcoming society
    and being a lawful society. We can be both at the same time. And so, to
    keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of America.
        We must also reform those laws. No one is served by an immigration
    system that allows large numbers of people to sneak across the border
    illegally. Nobody benefits when illegal immigrants live in the shadows
    of society. Everyone suffers when people seeking to provide for their
    families are left at the mercy of criminals or stuffed in the back of
    18-wheelers or abandoned in the desert to die. America needs
    comprehensive immigration reform.
        I've laid out a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that
    includes three critical elements: securing the border, strengthening
    immigration enforcement inside our country, and creating a temporary-
    worker program. These elements depend on and reinforce one another, and
    together they will give America an immigration system that meets the
    needs of the 21st century.
        The first element is securing our border. Our immigration system
    cannot function if we cannot control the border. Illegal immigration
    puts a strain on law enforcement and public resources, especially in our
    border communities. Our Nation is also fighting a war on terror, and
    terrorists crossing the border could create destruction on a massive
    scale. The responsibility of Government is clear: We must enforce the
    border.
        Since I took office, we've increased funding for border security by
    66 percent. We've expanded the Border Patrol to more than 12,000 agents,
    an increase of more than 2,700 agents. And the budget next year funds
    another 1,500 new agents. We're helping these dedicated men and women do
    their jobs by providing them with cutting-edge technology like infrared
    cameras, advanced motion sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles. We're
    installing protective infrastructure, such as vehicle barriers and
    fencing in urban areas, to prevent people from crossing the border
    illegally. And we're integrating manpower and technology and
    infrastructure in more unified ways than ever. Our objective is to keep
    the border open to trade and tourism and closed to criminals and drug
    dealers and terrorists.
        Our strategy to secure the border is getting results. Since I took
    office, our agents have apprehended and sent home more than 6 million
    people entering this country illegally, including more than 400,000 with
    criminal records. Federal, State, and local and travel enforcement
    officials are working side by side. Through the Arizona Border Control
    Initiative, we apprehended more than 600,000 illegal immigrants in
    Arizona last year. The men and women of our Border Patrol have made good
    progress, but we have much more work ahead, and we cannot be satisfied
    until we're in full control of the border.
        We're also changing the way we process those we catch crossing the
    border illegally. More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we
    apprehend are from Mexico, and most are sent back home within 24 hours.
    We face a different challenge with non-

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    Mexicans. For decades, Government detention facilities did not have
    enough beds for the non-Mexican illegal immigrants caught at the border,
    and so most were released back into society. They were each assigned a
    court date, but virtually nobody showed up. This practice of catch-and-
    release is unwise, and my administration is going to end it.
        To end catch-and-release, we're increasing the number of beds and
    detention facilities by 12 percent this year and by another 32 percent
    next year. We're also expanding our use of a process called expedited
    removal, which allows us to send non-Mexican illegal immigrants home
    more quickly.
        Last year, it took an average of 66 days to process one of these
    illegal immigrants. Now we're doing it in 21 days. The goal is to
    increase the process faster. It's helped us end the catch-and-release
    for illegal immigrants from Brazil and Guatemala, Honduras, and
    Nicaragua caught crossing our Southwest border. And since last summer,
    we've cut the number of non-Mexican illegal immigrants released in
    society by more than a third. We've set a goal to end catch-and-release
    over the next year. I look forward to working with Congress to close
    loopholes that makes it difficult for us to process illegal immigrants
    from certain countries. And we will continue to press foreign
    Governments like China to take back their citizens who have entered our
    country illegally.
        When illegal immigrants know they're going to be caught and sent
    home, they will be less likely to break the rules in the first place.
    And the system will be more orderly and secure for those who follow the
    law.
        The second part of a comprehensive immigration reform is
    strengthening enforcement of our laws in the interior of our country.
    Since I took office, we've increased funding for immigration enforcement
    by 42 percent, and these resources have helped our agents bring to
    justice some very dangerous people: smugglers, terrorists, gang members,
    and human traffickers. For example, through Operation Community Shield,
    Federal agents have arrested nearly 2,300 gang members who were here
    illegally, including violent criminals like the members of MS-13.
        Better interior enforcement also requires better worksite
    enforcement. Businesses have an obligation to abide by the law. The
    Government has the responsibility to help them do so. Last year, I
    signed legislation to more than double the resources dedicated to
    worksite enforcement. We'll continue to confront the problem of document
    fraud, because hard-working businessowners should not have to act as
    detectives to verify the status of their workers.
        Next month, we're going to launch law enforcement task forces in 11
    major cities to dismantle document fraud rings. We're working to shut
    down the forgers who create the phony documents, to stop the smugglers
    who traffic in human beings, and to ensure that American businesses are
    compliant with American law.
        The third part of comprehensive immigration reform is to make the
    system more rational, orderly, and secure by creating a new temporary-
    worker program. This program would provide a legal way to match willing
    foreign workers with willing American employers to fill the jobs that
    Americans are unwilling to do. Workers should be able to register for
    legal status on a temporary basis. If they decide to apply for
    citizenship, they would have to get in line. This program would help
    meet the demands of a growing economy and would allow honest workers to
    provide for their families while respecting the law.
        A temporary-worker program is vital to securing our border. By
    creating a separate legal channel for those entering America to do an
    honest day's labor, we would dramatically reduce the number of people
    trying to sneak back and forth across the border. That would help take
    the pressure off

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    the border and free up law enforcement to focus on the greatest threats
    to our security, which are criminals and drug dealers and terrorists.
        The program would also improve security by creating tamper-proof
    identification cards that would allow us to keep track of every
    temporary worker who is here on a legal basis and help us identify those
    who are here illegally.
        One thing the temporary-worker program should not do is provide
    amnesty for people who are in our country illegally. I believe granting
    amnesty would be unfair, because it would allow those who break the law
    to jump ahead of people like you all, people who play by the rules and
    have waited in the line for citizenship.
        Amnesty would also be unwise, because it would encourage future
    waves of illegal immigration, it would increase pressure on the border,
    and make it difficult for law enforcement to focus on those who mean us
    harm. For the sake of justice and border security, I firmly oppose
    amnesty.
        This week, the Senate plans to consider legislation on immigration
    reform. Congress needs to pass a comprehensive bill that secures the
    border, improves interior enforcement, and creates a temporary-worker
    program to strengthen our security and our economy. Completing a
    comprehensive bill is not going to be easy. It will require all of us in
    Washington to make tough choices and make compromises, and that is
    exactly what the American people sent us here to do.
        As we move toward the process, we also have a chance to move beyond
    tired choices and the harsh attitudes of the past. The immigration
    debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way. No one should
    play on people's fears or try to pit neighbors against each other. No
    one should pretend that immigrants are threats to American identity
    because immigrants have shaped America's identity.
        No one should claim that immigrants are a burden on our economy
    because the work and enterprise of immigrants helps sustain our economy.
    We should not give into pessimism. If we work together, I'm confident we
    can meet our duty to fix our immigration system and deliver a bill that
    protects our people, upholds our laws, and makes our people proud.
        It's a joyful day for all of you, and it's one you'll always
    remember. When you came here this morning, I was the President of
    another country. Now I'm the President of your country, and I'm grateful
    for that honor. I wish you good luck as citizens of the greatest Nation
    on the face of the Earth.
        May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless
    America. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:12 a.m. at the DAR Administration
    Building. In his remarks, he referred to Alfonso Aguilar, Chief, Office
    of Citizenship, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Office of
    the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these
    remarks.