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Good evening. I have 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...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 are a Nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws. We are 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 the governor of a state that has a twelve-hundred 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 have 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 five years, we have
apprehended and sent home about six 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 am calling on Congress to provide
funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border.
By the end of 2008, we will increase the number of Border Patrol officers by
an additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we will have more
than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during my Presidency.
At the same time, we are 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 will 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.
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 am 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 online. It is
important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the
war on terror, respond to natural disasters, and 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 will increase federal
funding for state and local authorities assisting the Border Patrol on
targeted enforcement missions. And 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 resource - and they are part of our strategy to secure our border
communities.
The steps I have 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 other countries, it is not as easy to send them 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 are taking several important steps to meet this goal. We have expanded
the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will continue to add
more. We have expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation
time. And we are 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 have 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 will 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.
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
already here. 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 that 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 au tomatic, and they will have to wait in line
behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I have 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 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 have 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. 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 have 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 are from, because we trust in our country's
genius for making us all Americans -- one Nation under God. Thank you, and
good night. |
