[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[May 12, 2007]
[Pages 575-576]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
May 12, 2007

    Good morning. Next week, the Senate will take up an important 
priority for our Nation: comprehensive immigration reform.
    Over the past few weeks, leaders from both parties have met at the 
White House and on Capitol Hill to find areas of agreement and iron out 
our differences. These meetings have been productive. We've been 
addressing our differences in good faith, and we're building consensus. 
Both Republicans and Democrats understand

[[Page 576]]

that successful immigration reform must be bipartisan.
    Democrats and Republicans agree that our current immigration system 
is in need of reform. We agree that we need a system where our laws are 
respected. We agree that we need a system that meets the legitimate 
needs of workers and employers. And we agree that we need a system that 
treats people with dignity and helps newcomers assimilate into our 
society.
    We must address all elements of this problem together, or none of 
them will be solved at all. We must not repeat the mistakes that caused 
previous efforts at immigration reform to fail. So I support a 
comprehensive immigration reform bill that accomplishes five clear 
objectives.
    First, America must continue our efforts to improve security at our 
borders. Second, we must hold employers to account for the workers they 
hire by providing better tools for them to verify documents and work 
eligibility. Third, we must create a temporary-worker program that takes 
pressure off the border by providing foreign workers a legal and orderly 
way to enter ours country to fill jobs that Americans are not doing. 
Fourth, we must resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants who 
are here already, without amnesty and without animosity. Finally, we 
must honor the great American tradition of the melting pot.
    Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation 
of our history, and an ability to speak and write the English language. 
And the success of our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate 
into our society and embrace our common identity as Americans.
    Coming together on a good bill that includes all five elements, we 
will make America more secure, we will make our economy more 
competitive, and we will show the world that America can be a lawful 
society and a welcoming society at the same time.
    Reforming our immigration system is an important opportunity to show 
that elected officials in Washington can work together to find practical 
solutions to the problems that matter most. I thank the Senators who 
have been working hard on this issue. I am optimistic we can pass a 
comprehensive immigration bill and get this problem solved for the 
American people this year.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on May 11 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 12. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
May 11, but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this 
address.