[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 12 (Monday, March 25, 2002)]
[Pages 468-469]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Telemundo

March 20, 2002

Mexico-U.S. Border Issues

    Q. Mr. President, you're going to make an announcement about the 
situation on the border with Mexico. And that's something that, for 
millions of our viewers, is very, very important. Can you advance 
something of what you're going to say? [Laughter]
    The President. La frontera es muy importante por los Estados Unidos 
y tambien Mexico. The infrastructure--la frontera necesita--I mean, 
we've got to change for the better. We need to focus on new 
technologies, and we need to have a smart policy which recognizes two 
things.
    One, there is a lot of normal traffic that ought to be facilitated 
as opposed to stopped. There's a lot of traffic with trucks and a lot of 
traffic with people. Secondly, we've got to be wise about stopping 
things we don't want to have happen. In other words, we've got to 
encourage things we want to have happen and wise about stopping things 
we don't want to have happen, los coyotes, the terrorists, las drogas. 
And we can do a better job of assigning risk and focusing our resources 
and infrastructure and technologies to make it work better.
    That's really what it is. There's not much new; there really isn't 
much new, except for a determined focus to make the border work. And our 
cooperation with the Fox Government has been very good.
    Q. There's a huge challenge balancing homeland security----
    The President. Yes.
    Q. ----and not disturbing something that is part of the blood of 
this country; that is immigration.
    The President. That's right.
    Q. How do you manage to do something like that?
    The President. Well, it's the first to recognize that there are 
people who come to our country para trabajar. They love freedom; they 
want to work; they want to feed their families. Those family values--
values de la familia no pare in la Rio Bravo. They've got moms and dads 
in Mexico who want to work.
    And so a good immigration policy recognizes there are people in the 
United States who want to employ, Mexicans who want to work, and we've 
got to facilitate them coming together. That has nothing to do with the 
war on terror; that has everything to do to make sure that our economy 
grows. And we can do a better job of that. We need to modernize that 
part of the immigration law.
    At the same time, when we share intelligence, when we modernize the 
border, when we use biometrics, for example, on the border, when we've 
got new machines that are able to look inside trucks, then I think we 
can do both. We can have an immigration policy that's wise and an 
antiterrorist homeland security for both countries that is effective. 
And that's what I've been talking to President Fox about, as well as the 
Canadians. And we've got good relationships. So we can do a lot better 
job of making the border work better.

Documentation for Aliens

    Q. The Mexican consulates are giving to the Mexicans in this country 
an ID called matricula consular. And in some counties in California and 
in Texas--and it's expanding--it's been accepted officially as an ID, 
and they can open bank accounts and stuff like that. Is it realistic to 
think that there could be a way to think in further terms about 
something like that?
    The President. Es posible. Remember there are--again, I think it's 
very important

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for us to differentiate between those who on the border go back and 
forth on a daily basis--and that's easy to figure out a way to 
facilitate that. It may be biometrics; it may be a card; it may be--
something. That's been discussed for a long period of time. And then 
there are those who are inside the country legally, and again, some kind 
of ID is a possibility. These are all open for discussion.
    But the thing that is important for Americans to understand is that 
there are a lot of employers looking for people to work and a lot of 
people from Mexico who are willing to do the job and looking for work, 
and we've just got to come up with a plan that facilitates that. And I 
don't know all the details, and I don't have--but those are the kinds of 
things that our people are discussing with the Mexicans to come up with 
a compassionate policy.

Colombia

    Q. Are we closer to seeing U.S. troops in Colombia?
    The President. No. No, no, no. We have committed to help the 
Colombians fight narcotrafficking. We're in the process of discussion 
with Congress the make--to allow our aid and advice to help the 
Colombians fight terrorism. As you know, we put the terrorist groups 
within Colombia on our list of terrorist organizations.
    And so I don't see any role beyond advising and training. And I 
think that's important. It's important for the Colombians to make the 
decision themselves, to get the will necessary to take on these 
terrorists. And we will help them help themselves. It is a terrible 
situation where a part of your country has been taken over by a 
terrorist organization, that evidently doesn't want to reach an 
accommodation with you--I'm talking about FARC, now--does not want to 
reach an accommodation with the Colombian Government. Pastrana tried, 
and he tried, and he tried, and every attempt to create peace and a 
peaceful situation has been rejected by them. And now they're going to 
take a new tack, and we're there to help.
    Q. Thank you very much.
    The President. Thank you, sir.

Note: The interview began at 11:09 a.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, the President referred to President Vincente Fox 
of Mexico; and President Andres Pastrana of Colombia. The President also 
referred to FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. A tape was 
not available for verification of the content of this interview.