[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 43 (Monday, October 30, 2006)]
[Pages 1891-1892]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the Secure Fence Act of 2006

October 26, 2006

    Thank you all. Thank you. Please be seated. I'm pleased that you all 
are here to witness the signature of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This 
bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our 
borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform.
    I want to thank the Members of Congress for their work on this 
important piece of legislation. I welcome you here to the White House. 
I'm looking forward to signing this bill.
    I appreciate the Vice President joining us today. I thank the Deputy 
Secretary, Michael Jackson, of the Department of Homeland Security. Rob 
Portman--he happens to be the Director of the OMB. I want to thank Ralph 
Basham, who is the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection--David Aguilar is the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.
    I appreciate the fact that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has 
joined us, as well as House Majority Leader John Boehner. I appreciate 
them coming in from their respective States as I sign this piece of 
legislation. I want to thank Congressman Peter King, who's the chairman 
of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives. I 
appreciate you being here, Peter.
    Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. 
Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its 
borders for decades, and therefore, illegal immigration has been on the 
rise. We have a responsibility to address these challenges. We have a 
responsibility to enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure 
our borders. We take this responsibility seriously.
    Earlier this year, I addressed the Nation from the Oval Office. I 
laid out our strategy for immigration reform. Part of that strategy 
begins with securing the border. Since I took office, we have more than 
doubled funding for border security--from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 
billion this year. We've increased the number of Border Patrol agents 
from about 9,000 to more than 12,000, and by the end of 2008, we will 
have doubled

[[Page 1892]]

the number of Border Patrol agents during my Presidency.
    We've deployed thousands of National Guard members to assist the 
Border Patrol. We've upgraded technology at our borders. We've added 
infrastructure, including new fencing and vehicle barriers. We're adding 
thousands of new beds in our detention facilities so we can continue 
working to end catch-and-release at our southern border. During the 
course of my administration, we have apprehended and sent home more than 
6 million people entering our country illegally. And I thank the Border 
Patrol for their hard work.
    The Secure Fence Act builds on this progress. The bill authorizes 
the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our 
southern border. The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, 
and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. 
The bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the 
use of advanced technology like cameras and satellites and unmanned 
aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border. We're 
modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure 
the American people we're doing our job of securing the border. By 
making wise use of physical barriers and deploying 21st century 
technology, we're helping our Border Patrol agents do their job.
    The Secure Fence Act is part of our efforts to reform our 
immigration system. We have more to do. Meaningful immigration reform 
means that we must enforce our immigration laws in the United States. It 
is against the law to hire someone who is here illegally. We fully 
understand that most businesses want to obey that law, but they cannot 
verify the legal status of their employees because of widespread 
document fraud. So we're creating a better system for verifying 
documents and work eligibility and, in the meantime, holding people to 
account for breaking the law.
    We must reduce pressure on our border by creating a temporary-worker 
plan. Willing workers ought to be matched with willing employers to do 
jobs Americans are not doing for a temporary--on a temporary basis.
    We must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are 
already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship; 
that is amnesty. I oppose amnesty. There is a rational middle ground 
between granting an automatic pass to citizenship for every illegal 
immigrant and a program of mass deportation. And I look forward to 
working with Congress to find that middle ground.
    The bill I'm about to sign is an important step in our Nation's 
efforts to secure our border and reform our immigration system. I want 
to thank the Members of Congress for joining me as I sign the Secure 
Fence Act of 2006.

Note: The President spoke at 9:34 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. H.R. 6061, approved October 26, was assigned Public Law No. 
109-367. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.