    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [May 15, 2006]
    [Pages 928-932]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on Immigration Reform
    May 15, 2006

        Good evening. I've asked for a few minutes of your time to discuss a
    matter of national importance, the reform of America's immigration
    system.
        The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions, and in recent
    weeks, Americans have seen those emotions on display. On the streets of
    major cities, crowds have rallied in support of those in our country
    illegally. At our southern border, others have organized to stop illegal
    immigrants from coming in. Across the country, Americans are trying to
    reconcile these contrasting images. And in Washington, the debate over
    immigration reform has reached a time of decision. Tonight I will make
    it clear where I stand and where I want to lead our country on this
    vital issue.
        We must begin by recognizing the problems with our immigration
    system. For decades, the United States has not been in complete control
    of its borders. As a result, many who want to work in our economy have
    been able to sneak across our border, and millions have stayed.
        Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society.
    Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it

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    difficult for employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal.
    Illegal immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals; it
    strains State and local budgets and brings crime to our communities.
    These are real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast majority of
    illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their
    families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives. They are a
    part of American life, but they are beyond the reach and protection of
    American law.
        We're a nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws. We're also a
    nation of immigrants, and we must uphold that tradition, which has
    strengthened our country in so many ways. These are not contradictory
    goals. America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the
    same time. We will fix the problems created by illegal immigration, and
    we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and fair. So I support
    comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish five clear
    objectives.
        First, the United States must secure its borders. This is a basic
    responsibility of a sovereign nation. It is also an urgent requirement
    of our national security. Our objective is straightforward: The border
    should be open to trade and lawful immigration, and shut to illegal
    immigrants as well as criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.
        I was a Governor of a State that has a 1,200-mile border with
    Mexico, so I know how difficult it is to enforce the border and how
    important it is. Since I became President, we've increased funding for
    border security by 66 percent and expanded the Border Patrol from about
    9,000 to 12,000 agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing
    a fine job in difficult circumstances, and over the past 5 years, they
    have apprehended and sent home about 6 million people entering America
    illegally.
        Despite this progress, we do not yet have full control of the
    border, and I am determined to change that. Tonight I'm calling on
    Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and
    technology at the border. By the end of 2008, we'll increase the number
    of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents
    are deployed, we'll have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol
    during my Presidency.
        At the same time, we're launching the most technologically advanced
    border security initiative in American history. We will construct high-
    tech fences in urban corridors and build new patrol roads and barriers
    in rural areas. We'll employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and
    unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the
    best technology in the world, and we will ensure that the Border Patrol
    has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border.
        Training thousands of new Border Patrol agents and bringing the most
    advanced technology to the border will take time. Yet the need to secure
    our border is urgent. So I'm announcing several immediate steps to
    strengthen border enforcement during this period of transition.
        One way to help during this transition is to use the National Guard.
    So in coordination with Governors, up to 6,000 Guard members will be
    deployed to our southern border. The Border Patrol will remain in the
    lead. The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance
    systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers,
    building patrol roads, and providing training. Guard units will not be
    involved in direct law enforcement activities; that duty will be done by
    the Border Patrol. This initial commitment of Guard members would last
    for a period of one year. After that, the number of Guard forces will be
    reduced as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies come on line.
    It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces
    to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters, and to help
    secure our border.

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        The United States is not going to militarize the southern border.
    Mexico is our neighbor and our friend. We will continue to work
    cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, to
    confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce
    illegal immigration.
        Another way to help during this period of transition is through
    State and local law enforcement in our border communities. So we'll
    increase Federal funding for State and local authorities assisting the
    Border Patrol on targeted enforcement missions. We will give State and
    local authorities the specialized training they need to help Federal
    officers apprehend and detain illegal immigrants. State and local law
    enforcement officials are an important part of our border security, and
    they need to be a part of our strategy to secure our borders.
        The steps I've outlined will improve our ability to catch people
    entering our country illegally. At the same time, we must ensure that
    every illegal immigrant we catch crossing our southern border is
    returned home. More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch
    crossing the southern border are Mexicans, and most are sent back home
    within 24 hours. But when we catch illegal immigrants from another
    country, it is not as easy to send them back home. For many years, the
    Government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold
    them while the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into
    our society and asked to return for a court date. When the date arrived,
    the vast majority did not show up. This practice, called catch-and-
    release, is unacceptable, and we will end it.
        We're taking several important steps to meet this goal. We've
    expanded the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will
    continue to add more. We've expedited the legal process to cut the
    average deportation time. And we're making it clear to foreign
    governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our
    immigration laws. As a result of these actions, we've ended catch-and-
    release for illegal immigrants from some countries. And I will ask
    Congress for additional funding and legal authority so we can end catch-
    and-release at the southern border once and for all. When people know
    that they'll be caught and sent home if they enter our country
    illegally, they will be less likely to try to sneak in.
        Second, to secure our border, we must create a temporary-worker
    program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of
    our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a
    better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat or hide
    in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous
    pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To
    secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people
    trying to sneak across.
        Therefore, I support a temporary-worker program that would create a
    legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way
    for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign
    workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not
    doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to
    pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to
    their home country at the conclusion of their stay.
        A temporary-worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and
    it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families
    while respecting the law. A temporary-worker program would reduce the
    appeal of human smugglers and make it less likely that people would risk
    their lives to cross the border. It would ease the financial burden on
    State and local governments by replacing illegal workers with lawful
    taxpayers. And above all, a temporary-worker program would add to our
    security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they
    are here.

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        Third, we need to hold employers to account for the workers they
    hire. It is against the law to hire someone who is in this country
    illegally. Yet businesses often cannot verify the legal status of their
    employees because of the widespread problem of document fraud.
    Therefore, comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system
    for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part of that system
    should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This
    card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to
    make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law
    and leave employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making it
    harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would
    discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.
        Fourth, we must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants
    are here already. They should not be given an automatic path to
    citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair
    to those who are here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of
    illegal immigration.
        Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every
    illegal immigrant, and that any proposal short of this amounts to
    amnesty. I disagree. It is neither wise nor realistic to round up
    millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send
    them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between
    granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant
    and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes there
    are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border
    recently and someone who has worked here for many years and has a home,
    a family, and an otherwise clean record.
        I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and
    want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the
    law: to pay their taxes; to learn English; and to work in a job for a
    number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to
    apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they
    will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and
    followed the law. What I've just described is not amnesty; it is a way
    for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society and
    demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen.
        Fifth, we must honor the great American tradition of the melting
    pot, which has made us one Nation out of many peoples. The success of
    our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society
    and embrace our common identity as Americans. Americans are bound
    together by our shared ideals: an appreciation of our history; respect
    for the flag we fly; and an ability to speak and write the English
    language. English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of
    America. English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a
    grocery; from cleaning offices to running offices; from a life of low-
    paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own. When
    immigrants assimilate and advance in our society, they realize their
    dreams, they renew our spirit, and they add to the unity of America.
        Tonight I want to speak directly to Members of the House and the
    Senate. An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive because all
    elements of this problem must be addressed together, or none of them
    will be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill. The
    Senate should act by the end of this month so we can work out the
    differences between the two bills, and Congress can pass a comprehensive
    bill for me to sign into law.
        America needs to conduct this debate on immigration in a reasoned
    and respectful tone. Feelings run deep on this issue, and as we work it
    out, all of us need to keep some things in mind. We cannot build a
    unified country by inciting people to anger or playing on anyone's fears
    or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. We must
    always remember that real lives

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    will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human
    being has dignity and value, no matter what their citizenship papers
    say.
        I know many of you listening tonight have a parent or a grandparent
    who came here from another country with dreams of a better life. You
    know what freedom meant to them, and you know that America is a more
    hopeful country because of their hard work and sacrifice. As President,
    I've had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds and hear
    what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital,
    Laura and I met a wounded marine named Guadalupe
    Denogean. Master Gunnery Sergeant
    Denogean came to the United States from Mexico when he was a boy. He
    spent his summers picking crops with his family, and then he volunteered
    for the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able. During the
    liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean was seriously
    injured. And when asked if he had any requests, he made two: a promotion
    for the corporal who helped rescue him and the chance to become an
    American citizen. And when this brave marine raised his right hand and
    swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had defended for
    more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.
        We will always be proud to welcome people like Guadalupe
    Denogean as fellow Americans. Our new
    immigrants are just what they've always been, people willing to risk
    everything for the dream of freedom. And America remains what she has
    always been--the great hope on the horizon, an open door to the future,
    a blessed and promised land. We honor the heritage of all who come here,
    no matter where they come from, because we trust in our country's genius
    for making us all Americans--one Nation under God.
        Thank you, and good night.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.