[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 19 (Monday, May 14, 2001)]
[Page 713]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

May 5, 2001

    Good morning. Today I want to offer a special greeting to everyone 
celebrating Cinco de Mayo. This day marks the proud moment when Mexican 
soldiers threw back an invading army at the Battle of Puebla. One 
hundred and thirty-nine years later Cinco de Mayo pays tribute to the 
strong and independent spirit of the Mexican people.
    We celebrated a little early at the White House this year, on quatro 
de Mayo, with a fiesta on the South Lawn, with the mariachi music, 
folkloric dancing, and an ample supply of Mexican food. For a little 
while, it was just like being in Texas again.
    Growing up in Texas gave me many things I'm thankful for, and one of 
them is an appreciation of the Hispanic culture. In Texas, it's in the 
air you breath. Hispanic life, Hispanic culture, and Hispanic values are 
inseparable from the life of our State and have been for many 
generations. The history of Mexican-American relations has had its 
troubled moments, but today our peoples enrich each other in trade and 
culture and family ties.
    To affirm that friendship, Laura and I have invited Mexican 
President Vicente Fox to be the guest of honor at the very first state 
dinner of my administration. President Fox is a fine man, a man of 
powerful ideals and a great vision for his country. We have already met 
three times this year. I consider him a friend. We are committed to 
working together in common purpose for the good of both countries. 
Whether the issue is free trade or energy production, environmental 
protection or the control of illegal drugs, our interests are often the 
same.
    In the United States, I'm happy to say, we're putting old fears and 
quarrels behind us. We know that we must protect the integrity of our 
border, yet we understand how that border can be viewed from the other 
side, as the gateway to better wages and a better life. I've often said 
that family values don't stop at the Rio Grande. The best way to have a 
stable border is better opportunity in both our nations, opportunity 
built by trade and education and freedom.
    And when immigrants come to America legally, their culture and 
contribution must be treated with respect. They have an equal place in 
the American story, a story written in many hands and told in many 
languages. This welcoming spirit is the heritage of the immigrant Nation 
and the commitment of my administration.
    Cinco de Mayo is a day for special pride and remembrance for all of 
Mexico. And for all Americans, it is a reminder of the heritage we share 
with our neighbor to the south and the great promise of the future.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 9 a.m. on May 4 in the Cabinet Room at 
the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 5. The address was 
also recorded in Spanish. Both transcripts were made available by the 
Office of the Press Secretary on May 4 but were embargoed for release 
until the broadcast.