[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 18 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Pages 541-542]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

April 28, 2007

    Good morning. This weekend I am traveling to Florida to address the 
graduating class of Miami Dade College. This college serves one of our 
Nation's most vibrant and diverse communities. Miami is home to people 
whose families have been in our country for generations and to people 
who have only just arrived. This diversity is one of the great strengths 
of that city, and it is one of the great strengths of our country.
    The opportunities America offers make our land a beacon of hope for 
people from every corner of the world. America's ability to assimilate 
new immigrants has set us apart

[[Page 542]]

from other nations. In this country, our origins matter less than our 
dreams. What makes us Americans is our shared belief in democracy and 
liberty. Our Nation now faces a critical challenge: to build an 
immigration system that upholds these ideals and meets America's needs 
in the 21st century.
    In Washington, we are in the midst of an important discussion about 
immigration. Our current immigration system is in need of reform. We 
need a system where our laws are respected. We need a system that meets 
the legitimate needs of our economy. And we need a system that treats 
people with dignity and helps newcomers assimilate into our society.
    We must address all elements of this problem together or none of 
them will be solved at all. And we must do it in a way that learns from 
the mistakes that caused previous reforms to fail. So I support 
comprehensive immigration reform that will allow us to secure our 
borders and enforce our laws, keep us competitive in the global economy, 
and resolve the status of those already here, without amnesty and 
without animosity.
    I know convictions run deep on the matter of immigration. Yet I am 
confident we can have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate. My 
administration is working closely with Members of Congress from both 
sides of the aisle. We are addressing our differences in good faith, and 
we are working to build consensus. And I am pleased that some of those 
who had doubts about comprehensive reform last year are now open to 
supporting it.
    There is a desire on the part of Republicans and Democrats alike to 
get this problem solved. And by working together, we can enact 
comprehensive immigration reform this year.
    Our Nation deserves an immigration system that secures our borders 
and honors our proud history as a nation of immigrants. By working 
together, we will enforce our laws and ensure that America forever 
remains a land of opportunity and a great hope on the horizon.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 5:40 p.m. on April 26 in the Map Room 
at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 28. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
April 27 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.