[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[October 26, 2006]
[Pages 1919-1920]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Signing the Secure Fence Act of 2006
October 26, 2006

    Thank you all. Thank you. Please be seated. I'm pleased that you all 
are here to witness the signature of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This 
bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our 
borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform.
    I want to thank the Members of Congress for their work on this 
important piece of legislation. I welcome you here to the White House. 
I'm looking forward to signing this bill.
    I appreciate the Vice President joining us 
today. I thank the Deputy Secretary, Michael Jackson, of the Department of Homeland Security. Rob Portman--he happens to be the Director of the 
OMB. I want to thank Ralph Basham, who is 
the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection; David 
Aguilar is the Chief of the U.S. Border 
Patrol.
    I appreciate the fact that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has joined us, as well as House Majority Leader John 
Boehner. I appreciate them coming in from 
their respective States as I sign this piece of legislation. I want to 
thank Congressman Peter King, who's the 
chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of 
Representatives. I appreciate you being here, Peter.
    Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. 
Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its 
borders for decades, and therefore, illegal immigration has been on the 
rise. We have a responsibility to address these challenges. We have a 
responsibility to enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure 
our borders. We take this responsibility seriously.
    Earlier this year, I addressed the Nation from the Oval Office. I 
laid out our strategy for immigration reform. Part of that strategy 
begins with securing the border. Since I took office, we have more than 
doubled funding for border security--from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 
billion this year. We've increased the number of Border Patrol agents 
from about 9,000 to more than 12,000, and by the end of 2008, we will 
have doubled the number of Border Patrol agents during my Presidency.
    We've deployed thousands of National Guard members to assist the 
Border Patrol. We've upgraded technology at our borders. We've added 
infrastructure, including new fencing and vehicle barriers. We're adding 
thousands of new beds in our detention

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facilities so we can continue working to end catch-and-release at our 
southern border. During the course of my administration, we have 
apprehended and sent home more than 6 million people entering our 
country illegally. And I thank the Border Patrol for their hard work.
    The Secure Fence Act builds on this progress. The bill authorizes 
the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our 
southern border. The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, 
and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. 
The bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the 
use of advanced technology like cameras and satellites and unmanned 
aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border. We're 
modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure 
the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By 
making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st century 
technology, we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job.
    The Secure Fence Act is part of our efforts to reform our 
immigration system. We have more to do. Meaningful immigration reform 
means that we must enforce our immigration laws in the United States. It 
is against the law to hire someone who is here illegally. We fully 
understand that most businesses want to obey that law, but they cannot 
verify the legal status of their employees because of widespread 
document fraud. So we're creating a better system for verifying 
documents and work eligibility and, in the meantime, holding people to 
account for breaking the law.
    We must reduce pressure on our border by creating a temporary-worker 
plan. Willing workers ought to be matched with willing employers to do 
jobs Americans are not doing for a temporary--on a temporary basis.
    We must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are 
already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship; 
that is amnesty. I oppose amnesty. There is a rational middle ground 
between granting an automatic pass to citizenship for every illegal 
immigrant and a program of mass deportation. And I look forward to 
working with Congress to find that middle ground.
    The bill I'm about to sign is an important step in our Nation's 
efforts to secure our border and reform our immigration system. I want 
to thank the Members of Congress for joining me as I sign the Secure 
Fence Act of 2006.

Note: The President spoke at 9:34 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. H.R. 6061, approved October 26, was assigned Public Law No. 
109-367. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.