[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 11 (Monday, March 15, 2004)]
[Pages 352-355]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Vicente Fox of Mexico in 
Crawford, Texas

March 6, 2004

    President Bush. Hola. Que tal? Bienvenidos.
    President Fox. Gracias.
    President Bush. Mr. President, Laura and I are pleased to welcome 
you and Marta to Crawford. I was honored as my first trip abroad as 
President to accept your invitation to your home in San Cristobal. We've 
met many times since. Today I'm pleased to host you here at our ranch.
    Mexico and the United States are more than neighbors. We are 
partners in building a safer, more democratic, and more prosperous 
hemisphere. In this age of terror, the security of our borders is more 
important than ever, and the cooperation between Mexico and American 
border and law enforcement is stronger than ever.
    Through the Border Partnership Agreement, our two nations are 
improving the infrastructure at ports of entry along our common border. 
We're using technology to allow law-abiding travelers to cross the 
border quickly and easily, while officials concentrate on stopping 
possible threats. Our Mexican and American officials are working 
together to arrest dangerous criminals, including drug smugglers and 
those who traffic in human beings. President Fox and I are determined to 
protect the safety of American people and the Mexican people.
    President Fox and I are continuing our efforts to support democracy 
in the region. I support the President's help in bringing order and 
stability to Haiti. As our efforts move forward, I welcome Mexico's 
further support.
    Our two nations will continue to cochair the Bolivia Support Group 
to protect the institutions of democracy in that country. We will work 
with the Organization of American States to help ensure the integrity of 
the Presidential recall and referendum process underway in Venezuela.
    I am committed to working with President Fox to expand free and fair 
trade between our nations. We've seen trade lift both our nations and 
both our economies. Over the

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past decade, trade between the United States and Mexico has nearly 
tripled to about $230 billion. Today, Mexico is America's second-largest 
trading partner, and we are Mexico's largest.
    We will continue to work together and with Canada to enhance our 
common prosperity. Selling American goods and services in foreign 
markets is vital to the American economy. Selling our products abroad 
creates jobs for America. We must reject economic isolationism. There is 
no future in walling America off from the rest of the world. American 
workers and families, no less than the people of Mexico and the people 
of all nations, benefit from free and fair trade.
    We will work to ensure a system of safe and orderly migration. 
Earlier this year, I proposed a temporary-worker program, not an amnesty 
program, that will offer legal status as temporary workers to 
undocumented men and women who were employed in the United States when I 
announced this proposal.
    Under this program, America will also welcome workers from foreign 
countries who have been offered jobs by American employers that no 
American has filled. I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on 
the automatic path to citizenship. This program will match willing 
workers with willing employers without disadvantaging those who have 
followed the law and waited in line to achieve American citizenship.
    This new temporary-worker program will strengthen both the American 
and Mexican economies. The United States will benefit from the labor of 
hard-working immigrants. Mexico will benefit as productive citizens are 
able to return home with money to invest and spend in their Nation's 
economy.
    This system will be more humane to workers, who will be protected by 
labor laws and able to establish their identities. It will live up to 
the highest ideals of free nations.
    Mr. President, thank you for the excellent dialog we had today. 
Thank you for the leadership you provide for our neighbor and friend. 
And thank you for being a friend to Laura and me. Bienvenidos.
    President Fox. Good morning. I would like to thank the President and 
his wife, Mrs. Laura Bush, for inviting us here to spend some time with 
them here at the ranch at Crawford, some time for friendship and some 
time for hard work.
    We have a long tradition of relationships and meetings with 
Presidents Bush and Fox, starting with the meeting in the ranch at San 
Cristobal, where we developed a work agenda. We spoke--both Presidents 
continue to review, looking forward to what lies ahead.
    We know the value of the open relationship, commercial relationship, 
and the impact that it has had on both these nations and the 
unprecedented levels of prosperity that it brings to our people. It's a 
two-way street, a two-way commercial street. It's a buying and selling 
operation.
    I would like to point out that Mexico buys from U.S., the United 
States, in volumes that equal the volumes of Germany, Spain, Italy, and 
France. All of this creates employment. And that's why we continue to 
revise the commercial agenda, and we can see that things are going well 
in this direction.
    Immigration is a subject that is of shared responsibility between 
both our nations. But we have a shared definition about immigration. We 
have to work together to develop a legal system that is orderly and safe 
and respects the dignity of those involved. It is clear to us that the 
people who come to this country make a significant contribution to the 
American economy. And I underline the fact that I refer to those who are 
working to contribute to the economy.
    And that is why we welcome President Bush's proposal that he made in 
January. And that is why, in our meetings, we worked to advance this 
proposal, and that's what we have been doing today. We welcome the news 
that was confirmed today with regard to visitors to the U.S. from 
Mexico. We recognize the value to those who come to the United States to 
work, to study, to contribute. And we appreciate what this will do to 
the flow of visitors now that they will not have to be photographed or 
fingerprinted at the frontier for short visits to the United States. We 
appreciate what that will do the flow of people coming to this country.
    The other good news this year is the--about the NAFTA visa for 
professionals, that

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allows professionals to come and work in either country and contribute 
to both.
    We also appreciate the recent visit of Secretary Ridge, talking 
about the cooperation in security between our countries. And we 
understand that this is progressing well and we have a solid and good 
basis to move forward, always respecting the security issues that are 
essential to both countries. We have spoken about competition and 
productivity and jobs. In order to allow the initiative of the United 
States, together with Canada, this will allow us to protect jobs in the 
region, and through the North American Initiative, contribute to the 
economies and to the workforce on both sides of the border.
    In the fields of energy and industrial products, food products, 
sanitation systems, and systems for the protection of food products, the 
contributing opportunities for businesses, these are all subjects which 
are moving forward well. And we look forward to agreements with Canada 
in the near future that will contribute to the North American 
Initiative, which will benefit the three nations in this region.
    Then in the area of the international relations, specifically in the 
Caribbean, we have been revising our joint efforts in that area. And we 
will continue to work in the areas of Haiti and Venezuela, Bolivia, and 
others in the region to promote democracy and human development and 
sustainable economic systems.
    Thank you.
    President Bush. How many questions, Scott? Two questions? Dos 
preguntas por cado lado.
    Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Associated Press].

National Economy

    Q. Thank you, sir. Senator Kerry has been hitting you pretty hard on 
job growth. And yesterday's report gave his arguments a little bit more 
traction. Can you tell the American people why they shouldn't listen to 
his arguments and vote for you?
    President Bush. The economy is getting stronger. We've overcome a 
lot. We've been through a recession. We've been through an attack. We've 
been through corporate scandals. We've been through war, and yet our 
economy is getting stronger. And the question is, who brings forth the 
best pro-growth policies. You've heard us talk about the advantages of 
trade. This Nation must reject economic isolationism. We need less 
regulation. We need tort reform. We need to make sure the tax cuts are 
permanent. Raising taxes will make it harder for people to find work. 
We've got a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-small business agenda that 
is making this economy stronger.
    Do you want to translate that? Okay. You don't have to. [Laughter]

[At this point, a translation was provided.]

    President Bush. Make sure you tell them: Don't raise taxes. 
[Laughter]

[A translation was provided.]

    President Bush. Like some others want to do.

[A translation was provided.]

    President Bush. Okay, thank you. [Laughter]

[President Fox spoke in Spanish, and no translation was provided.]

    President Bush. Blame it on me. [Laughter]

[A question was asked in Spanish, and no translation was provided.]

    President Bush. Si, si. I understand. Comprendo.
    First of all, President Fox has made it very clear that democracy 
and transparency and rule of law are integral values of Mexico. And 
where there is corruption, there will be law and justice, no matter who 
is responsible. And that is a commitment of this President and it's a 
commitment I share, because in our own country we've had corporate 
scandals. And what's important in both countries is to deal with these 
issues through rule of law and to hold people to account when they're 
guilty of betraying the trust.
    Who do you want, Scott? Okay, how are you?
    Q. Hi.
    President Bush. Welcome. Pelo roja. [Laughter]

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September 11

    Q. Mr. President, some firefighters and families of the 9/11 
victims--of the 9/11 victims want you to pull your campaign ad focusing 
on the tragedy. Are you prepared to honor their wishes?
    President Bush. First of all, I will continue to speak about the 
effects of 9/11 on our country and my Presidency. I will continue to 
mourn the loss of life on that day, but I'll never forget the lessons. 
The terrorists declared war on us on that day, and I will continue to 
pursue this war. I have an obligation to those who died. I have an 
obligation to those who were heroic in their attempts to rescue, and I 
won't forget that obligation.
    How this administration handled that day as well as the war on 
terror is worthy of discussion. And I look forward to discussing that 
with the American people. And I look forward to the debate about who 
best to lead this country in the war on terror.
    Por fin.

Immigration Policy

[A question was asked in Spanish.]

    President Bush. Vamos a ver. Vamos a ver. Go ahead, want to 
translate? To make sure I got all of it.
    Interpreter. The question is on the immigration policy. The 
Government of Mexico wanted to know what the date certain would be for 
this new program or what proposals you have for temporary immigrants, 
and how do you believe it will affect the upcoming election process?
    President Bush. Well, we just--the President just discussed the 
border crossing cards, the issue of the border crossing cards, and he 
discussed the professional visas. And so we're making progress.
    I put forth what I think is a very reasonable proposal and a humane 
proposal, one that is not amnesty but in fact recognizes that there are 
good, honorable, hard-working people here doing jobs Americans won't do. 
And I certainly hope the Congress takes this issue up. But there's no 
telling what's going to happen in an election year, so it's very 
difficult to give a date. The date that matters to me is the date in 
which I laid out what I think is a reasonable plan, which was in 
January.
    Mr. President, thank you.
    President Fox. Gracias.
    President Bush. Thank you all. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Attorney General Ashcroft

    Q. Any word on John Ashcroft?
    President Bush. I talked to him last night.
    Q. How is he?
    President Bush. He sounded groggy but optimistic that they'd get the 
pancreas settled down.
    Thank you.

Note: The President's news conference began at 11 a.m. In his remarks, 
he referred to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. President 
Fox spoke in Spanish and some reporters asked their questions in 
Spanish, and their remarks were translated by an interpreter.