    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [May 25, 2006]
    [Pages 1017-1018]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Senate Passage of Immigration Reform Legislation
    May 25, 2006

        I commend the Senate for passing bipartisan comprehensive
    immigration reform before the Memorial Day deadline set by its leaders.
    I appreciate the hard work of the leadership and Senators on both sides
    of the aisle. An effective immigration reform bill will protect our
    borders, hold employers to account for the workers they hire, create a
    temporary-worker program to take pressure off our border and meet the
    needs of our growing economy, address the issue of the millions of
    illegal immigrants already in our country, and honor America's great
    tradition of the melting pot. The House of Representatives began a
    national dialog by passing an immigration bill last

    [[Page 1018]]

    year. Now that the Senate has acted, I look forward to working together
    with both the House of Representatives and the Senate to produce a bill
    for me to sign into law.

    Note: The statement referred to S. 2611. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this statement.