    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [August 5, 2006]
    [Pages 1492-1493]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    August 5, 2006

        Good morning. This week, my administration met a key objective in
    our efforts to better secure our Nation's border.
        In May, I pledged to deploy up to 6,000 National Guard members to
    support the Border Patrol, and we fulfilled that pledge by August 1st.
    Through Operation Jump Start, National Guard members are now on duty
    supporting the Border Patrol in Texas, California, Arizona, and New
    Mexico.
        On Thursday, I visited the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector in
    Texas. I saw firsthand how the National Guard is working with our Border
    Patrol agents to improve border security. National Guard troops are
    helping with surveillance, construction, and logistics. They're building
    and repairing fences, maintaining vehicles, and manning detection
    equipment on the border and in command centers.
        The arrival of National Guard units has allowed the Border Patrol to
    move more agents into frontline positions, and this additional manpower
    is delivering results. With the support of the National Guard, Border
    Patrol agents have seized over 17,000 pounds of illegal drugs and caught
    more than 2,500 illegal immigrants since June 15th. Just last month,
    Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector confiscated more
    than 4,200 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tractor trailer. And the
    support of the National Guard was important in making this seizure
    happen.
        Rational and comprehensive immigration reform must begin with border
    security, and we have more to do. So I've asked Congress to fund
    dramatic increases in manpower and technology for the Border Patrol. We
    will add 6,000 new Border Patrol agents. We will build high-tech fences
    in urban corridors and new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. And
    we will employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and unmanned aerial
    vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. By deploying 21st century
    technologies, we will make our Border Patrol agents even more effective
    and our border more secure.
        Yet to be successful, comprehensive immigration reform must also
    accomplish four other critical goals. We need a temporary-worker program
    that will create a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter
    our country to work on a temporary basis. This program will add to our
    security by helping us know who is in our country and

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    why they are here. And by reducing pressure on our border, it will free
    up our Border Patrol to focus on making sure we stop terrorists, violent
    criminals, and drug smugglers from entering our country.
        We need to enforce our immigration laws at our Nation's worksites.
    To enforce the law, we have launched raids on businesses that knowingly
    hire illegal immigrants. We are filing criminal charges against these
    employers, and we are prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law.
        To help honest businesses follow the law, I propose more effective
    tools to verify the legal status of workers. These tools should include
    a tamper-proof identification card for legal foreign workers. By taking
    these steps, we will make it easier for businesses to obey the law and
    leave them no excuse for violating it.
        We need to resolve the status of illegal immigrants who are already
    here. 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. We
    will find a rational middle ground between automatic citizenship for
    illegal immigrants and mass deportations of people who've been living
    here for many years with jobs, families, and deep roots in our country.
        Finally, we need comprehensive immigration reform that honors the
    American tradition of the melting pot by helping newcomers assimilate.
    Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, our history, and the
    ability to speak and write the English language. When immigrants
    assimilate, they advance in our society, realize their dreams, and add
    to the unity of America. We can fix the problem of illegal immigration
    and deliver an immigration system that is rational and compassionate.
        By passing comprehensive immigration reform, we will uphold our
    laws, meet the needs of our economy, and keep America what she has
    always been--an open door to the future, a blessed and promised land,
    one Nation under God.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 8:05 a.m. on August 4 at the Bush
    Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 5. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    August 4 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.