    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [April 25, 2006]
    [Pages 808-809]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Members of the Senate
    April 25, 2006

        I want to thank the Members of the United States Senate for joining
    on a very important discussion, and the discussion was how to get a
    comprehensive immigration bill out of the United States Senate.
        I will report to the American people that there is a common desire
    to have a bill

    [[Page 809]]

    that enforces the border, a bill that has interior enforcement--in other
    words, a bill that will hold people to account for hiring somebody who
    is here illegally but a bill that also recognizes we must have a
    temporary-worker program, a bill that does not grant automatic amnesty
    to people but a bill that says, somebody who is working here on a legal
    basis has the right to get in line to become a citizen.
        I thank the Members, both Republicans and Democrats, for taking on
    this really hard, hard assignment. It's important that we reform a
    system that is not working. It's important that we uphold the values of
    the United States of America. It's important that we treat people with
    dignity.
        And I strongly believe that we have a chance to get an immigration
    bill that is comprehensive in nature to my desk before the end of this
    year.
        And again, I want to thank both the Republicans and Democrats for
    the spirit of hard work. I particularly want to thank Senator
    Kennedy and Senator McCain for taking the lead on this important bill on the floor
    of the United States Senate. And I assured the Members that I look
    forward to working with them as they try to get a bill out of the Senate
    by Memorial Day and into conference.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:23 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.