    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 25, 2006]
    [Pages 570-572]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 25, 2006

        Good morning. On Monday, I will attend a naturalization ceremony
    here in Washington. It's always inspiring to watch a group of immigrants
    raise their hands and swear an oath to become citizens of the United
    States of America. These men and women follow in the footsteps of
    millions who've come to our shores seeking liberty and opportunity, and
    America is better off for their hard work and love of freedom.
        America is a nation of immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws.
    And our immigration laws are in need of reform. So at Monday's ceremony,
    I will discuss my vision for comprehensive immigration reform that will
    secure our borders, improve enforcement of our immigration laws, and
    uphold our values.
        Comprehensive immigration reform begins with securing our borders.
    Since I took office, we've increased funding for border

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    security by 66 percent, and the Department of Homeland Security has
    caught and sent home nearly 6 million illegal immigrants. To improve
    security at the border, we're hiring thousands more Border Patrol
    agents. We're deploying new technology like infrared cameras and
    unmanned aerial vehicles to help our agents do their job. And we're
    installing physical barriers to entry, like fences in urban areas.

        We're also working to end the unwise practice of catch-and-release.
    For decades, many illegal immigrants were released back into society
    soon after they were caught because we did not have enough detention
    space. So we're adding more beds so we can hold the people we catch, and
    we're reducing the time it takes to send them back home. When illegal
    immigrants know they will be caught and sent home, they will be less
    likely to break the rules, and our immigration system will be more
    orderly and secure. We're making good progress, but we have much more
    work ahead, and we will not be satisfied until we have control of our
    border.

        Comprehensive immigration reform also includes strengthening the
    enforcement of our laws in America's interior. Since I took office,
    we've increased funding for immigration enforcement by 42 percent. We're
    increasing the number of immigration enforcement agents and criminal
    investigators, enhancing worksite enforcement, and going after smugglers
    and gang members and human traffickers.

        Finally, comprehensive immigration reform requires a temporary-
    worker program that will relieve pressure on our borders. This program
    would create a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing
    American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do. By reducing
    the number of people trying to sneak across the border, we would free up
    our law enforcement offi-cers to focus on criminals and drug dealers and
    terrorists and others who mean us harm.
        One thing the temporary-worker program would not do is provide
    amnesty to those who are in our country illegally. I believe that
    granting amnesty would be unfair, because it would allow those who break
    the law to jump ahead of people who play by the rules and wait in the
    citizenship line. Amnesty would also be unwise, because it would
    encourage waves of illegal immigration, increase pressure on the border,
    and make it more difficult for law enforcement to focus on those who
    mean us harm. For the sake of justice and for the sake of border
    security, I firmly oppose amnesty.
        In the coming days, the United States Senate plans to consider
    proposals on immigration reform. This is an emotional debate. America
    does not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a
    lawful society. We can be both at the same time. As we debate the
    immigration issue, we must remember, there are hard-working individuals,
    doing jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing to the
    economic vitality of our country.
        To keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of America.
    We must also ensure that immigrants assimilate into our society and
    learn our customs and values--including the English language. By working
    together, we can meet our duty to fix our immigration system and deliver
    a bill that protects our country, upholds our laws, and makes our Nation
    proud.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:59 a.m. on March 24 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on March 25. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    March 24 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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