[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 20 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[Pages 931-934]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Address to the Nation on Immigration Reform

May 15, 2006

    Good evening. I've asked for a few minutes of your time to discuss a 
matter of national importance, the reform of America's immigration 
system.
    The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions, and in recent 
weeks, Americans have seen those emotions on display. On the streets of 
major cities, crowds have rallied in support of those in our country 
illegally. At our southern border, others have organized to stop illegal 
immigrants from coming in. Across the country, Americans are trying to 
reconcile these contrasting images. And in Washington, the debate over 
immigration reform has reached a time of decision. Tonight I will make 
it clear where I stand and where I want to lead our country on this 
vital issue.
    We must begin by recognizing the problems with our immigration 
system. For decades, the United States has not been in complete control 
of its borders. As a result, many who want to work in our economy have 
been able to sneak across our border, and millions have stayed.
    Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society. 
Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it difficult for 
employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal. Illegal 
immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals; it strains 
State and local budgets and brings crime to our communities. These are 
real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast majority of illegal 
immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, 
practice their faith, and lead responsible lives. They are a part of 
American life, but they are beyond the reach and protection of American 
law.
    We're a nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws. We're also a 
nation of immigrants, and we must uphold that tradition, which has 
strengthened our country in so many ways. These are not contradictory 
goals. America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the 
same time. We will fix the problems created by illegal immigration, and 
we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and fair. So I support 
comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish five clear 
objectives.
    First, the United States must secure its borders. This is a basic 
responsibility of a sovereign nation. It is also an urgent requirement 
of our national security. Our objective is straightforward: The border 
should be open to trade and lawful immigration, and shut to illegal 
immigrants as well as criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.
    I was a Governor of a State that has a 1,200-mile border with 
Mexico. So I know how difficult it is to enforce the border and how 
important it is. Since I became President, we've increased funding for 
border security by 66 percent and expanded the Border Patrol from about 
9,000 to 12,000 agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing 
a fine job in difficult circumstances, and over the past 5 years, they 
have apprehended and sent home about 6 million people entering America 
illegally.
    Despite this progress, we do not yet have full control of the 
border, and I am determined to change that. Tonight I'm calling on 
Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and 
technology at the border. By the end of 2008, we'll increase the number 
of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents 
are deployed, we'll have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol 
during my Presidency.
    At the same time, we're launching the most technologically advanced 
border security initiative in American history. We will construct high-
tech fences in urban corridors and build new patrol roads and barriers 
in rural areas. We'll employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and 
unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the 
best technology in the world, and we will ensure that the Border Patrol 
has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border.

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    Training thousands of new Border Patrol agents and bringing the most 
advanced technology to the border will take time. Yet the need to secure 
our border is urgent. So I'm announcing several immediate steps to 
strengthen border enforcement during this period of transition.
    One way to help during this transition is to use the National Guard. 
So in coordination with Governors, up to 6,000 Guard members will be 
deployed to our southern border. The Border Patrol will remain in the 
lead. The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance 
systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, 
building patrol roads, and providing training. Guard units will not be 
involved in direct law enforcement activities; that duty will be done by 
the Border Patrol. This initial commitment of Guard members would last 
for a period of one year. After that, the number of Guard forces will be 
reduced as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies come on line. 
It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces 
to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters, and to help 
secure our border.
    The United States is not going to militarize the southern border. 
Mexico is our neighbor and our friend. We will continue to work 
cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, to 
confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce 
illegal immigration.
    Another way to help during this period of transition is through 
State and local law enforcement in our border communities. So we'll 
increase Federal funding for State and local authorities assisting the 
Border Patrol on targeted enforcement missions. We will give State and 
local authorities the specialized training they need to help Federal 
officers apprehend and detain illegal immigrants. State and local law 
enforcement officials are an important part of our border security, and 
they need to be a part of our strategy to secure our borders.
    The steps I've outlined will improve our ability to catch people 
entering our country illegally. At the same time, we must ensure that 
every illegal immigrant we catch crossing our southern border is 
returned home. More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch 
crossing the southern border are Mexicans, and most are sent back home 
within 24 hours. But when we catch illegal immigrants from another 
country, it is not as easy to send them back home. For many years, the 
Government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold 
them while the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into 
our society and asked to return for a court date. When the date arrived, 
the vast majority did not show up. This practice, called catch-and-
release, is unacceptable, and we will end it.
    We're taking several important steps to meet this goal. We've 
expanded the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will 
continue to add more. We've expedited the legal process to cut the 
average deportation time. And we're making it clear to foreign 
governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our 
immigration laws. As a result of these actions, we've ended catch-and-
release for illegal immigrants from some countries. And I will ask 
Congress for additional funding and legal authority so we can end catch-
and-release at the southern border once and for all. When people know 
that they'll be caught and sent home if they enter our country 
illegally, they will be less likely to try to sneak in.
    Second, to secure our border, we must create a temporary-worker 
program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of 
our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a 
better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat or hide 
in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous 
pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To 
secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people 
trying to sneak across.
    Therefore, I support a temporary-worker program that would create a 
legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way 
for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign 
workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not 
doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to 
pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to 
their home country at the conclusion of their stay.

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    A temporary-worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and 
it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families 
while respecting the law. A temporary-worker program would reduce the 
appeal of human smugglers and make it less likely that people would risk 
their lives to cross the border. It would ease the financial burden on 
State and local governments by replacing illegal workers with lawful 
taxpayers. And above all, a temporary-worker program would add to our 
security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they 
are here.
    Third, we need to hold employers to account for the workers they 
hire. It is against the law to hire someone who is in this country 
illegally. Yet businesses often cannot verify the legal status of their 
employees because of the widespread problem of document fraud. 
Therefore, comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system 
for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part of that system 
should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This 
card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to 
make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law 
and leave employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making it 
harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would 
discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.
    Fourth, we must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants 
are here already. They should not be given an automatic path to 
citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair 
to those who are here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of 
illegal immigration.
    Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every 
illegal immigrant, and that any proposal short of this amounts to 
amnesty. I disagree. It is neither wise nor realistic to round up 
millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send 
them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between 
granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant 
and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes there 
are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border 
recently and someone who has worked here for many years and has a home, 
a family, and an otherwise clean record.
    I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and 
want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the 
law: to pay their taxes; to learn English; and to work in a job for a 
number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to 
apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they 
will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and 
followed the law. What I've just described is not amnesty; it is a way 
for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society and 
demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen.
    Fifth, we must honor the great American tradition of the melting 
pot, which has made us one Nation out of many peoples. The success of 
our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society 
and embrace our common identity as Americans. Americans are bound 
together by our shared ideals: an appreciation of our history; respect 
for the flag we fly; and an ability to speak and write the English 
language. English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of 
America. English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a 
grocery; from cleaning offices to running offices; from a life of low-
paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own. When 
immigrants assimilate and advance in our society, they realize their 
dreams; they renew our spirit; and they add to the unity of America.
    Tonight I want to speak directly to Members of the House and the 
Senate: An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive, because 
all elements of this problem must be addressed together, or none of them 
will be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill. The 
Senate should act by the end of this month so we can work out the 
differences between the two bills, and Congress can pass a comprehensive 
bill for me to sign into law.
    America needs to conduct this debate on immigration in a reasoned 
and respectful tone. Feelings run deep on this issue, and as we work it 
out, all of us need to keep

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some things in mind. We cannot build a unified country by inciting 
people to anger or playing on anyone's fears or exploiting the issue of 
immigration for political gain. We must always remember that real lives 
will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human 
being has dignity and value, no matter what their citizenship papers 
say.
    I know many of you listening tonight have a parent or a grandparent 
who came here from another country with dreams of a better life. You 
know what freedom meant to them, and you know that America is a more 
hopeful country because of their hard work and sacrifice. As President, 
I've had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds and hear 
what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Laura 
and I met a wounded marine named Guadalupe Denogean. Master Gunnery 
Sergeant Denogean came to the United States from Mexico when he was a 
boy. He spent his summers picking crops with his family, and then he 
volunteered for the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able. 
During the liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean was 
seriously injured. And when asked if he had any requests, he made two: a 
promotion for the corporal who helped rescue him and the chance to 
become an American citizen. And when this brave marine raised his right 
hand and swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had 
defended for more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.
    We will always be proud to welcome people like Guadalupe Denogean as 
fellow Americans. Our new immigrants are just what they've always been--
people willing to risk everything for the dream of freedom. And America 
remains what she has always been--the great hope on the horizon, an open 
door to the future, a blessed and promised land. We honor the heritage 
of all who come here, no matter where they come from, because we trust 
in our country's genius for making us all Americans--one Nation under 
God.
    Thank you, and good night.

Note: The President spoke at 8:01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.