For Immediate Release Office of the
Press Secretary March 25, 2006
President's Radio Address
Audio
In Focus:
Immigration
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Monday, I will attend a
naturalization ceremony here in Washington. It's always inspiring to
watch a group of immigrants raise their hands and swear an oath to
become citizens of the United States of America. These men and women
follow in the footsteps of millions who've come to our shores
seeking liberty and opportunity, and America is better off for their
hard work and love of freedom.
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| America is a nation of
immigrants, and we're also a nation of laws. And our immigration
laws are in need of reform. So at Monday's ceremony, I will discuss
my vision for comprehensive immigration reform that will secure our
borders, improve enforcement of our immigration laws, and uphold our
values.
Comprehensive immigration reform begins with securing our
borders. Since I took office, we've increased funding for border
security by 66 percent, and the Department of Homeland Security has
caught and sent home nearly 6 million illegal immigrants. To improve
security at the border, we're hiring thousands more Border Patrol
agents. We're deploying new technology, like infrared cameras and
unmanned aerial vehicles, to help our agents do their job. And we're
installing physical barriers to entry, like fences in urban areas.
We're also working to end the unwise practice of
catch-and-release. For decades, many illegal immigrants were
released back into society soon after they were caught, because we
did not have enough detention space. So we're adding more beds so we
can hold the people we catch, and we're reducing the time it takes
to send them back home. When illegal immigrants know they will be
caught and sent home, they will be less likely to break the rules,
and our immigration system will be more orderly and secure. We're
making good progress, but we have much more work ahead, and we will
not be satisfied until we have control of our border.
Comprehensive immigration reform also includes strengthening the
enforcement of our laws in America's interior. Since I took office,
we've increased funding for immigration enforcement by 42 percent.
We're increasing the number of immigration enforcement agents and
criminal investigators, enhancing work site enforcement, and going
after smugglers and gang members and human traffickers.
Finally, comprehensive immigration reform requires a temporary
worker program that will relieve pressure on our borders. This
program would create a legal way to match willing foreign workers
with willing American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not
do. By reducing the number of people trying to sneak across the
border, we would free up our law enforcement officers to focus on
criminals and drug dealers and terrorists and others who mean us
harm.
One thing the temporary worker program would not do is provide
amnesty to those who are in our country illegally. I believe that
granting amnesty would be unfair, because it would allow those who
break the law to jump ahead of people who play by the rules and wait
in the citizenship line. Amnesty would also be unwise, because it
would encourage waves of illegal immigration, increase pressure on
the border, and make it more difficult for law enforcement to focus
on those who mean us harm. For the sake of justice and for the sake
of border security, I firmly oppose amnesty.
In the coming days, the United States Senate plans to consider
proposals on immigration reform. This is an emotional debate.
America does not have to choose between being a welcoming society
and being a lawful society. We can be both at the same time. As we
debate the immigration issue, we must remember there are
hard-working individuals, doing jobs that Americans will not do, who
are contributing to the economic vitality of our country.
To keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of
America. We must also ensure that immigrants assimilate into our
society and learn our customs and values -- including the English
language. By working together, we can meet our duty to fix our
immigration system and deliver a bill that protects our country,
upholds our laws, and makes our Nation proud.
Thank you for listening.
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