| Remarks by President Bush on the Need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform |
Press Release Source: White House Press Office
Remarks by the President in Briefing on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Friday June 1, 2:53 pm ET
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Room 350
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
1:26 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. First, I thank you very much for
your hard work on a comprehensive immigration bill and your concern about our
country. And the two go hand-in-hand. I believe that now is the time to address the
issue of immigration. I think it's in our national security interests, and I think it's in the
interest of making sure America never loses sight of who we are.
This is a difficult issue for a lot of folks. I understand that. But because it's difficult
probably means we need to work doubly hard to get it done. And now is the time to get
it done. No matter how difficult it may seem for some politically, I strongly believe it's in
this nation's interest for people here in Washington to show courage and resolve and
pass a comprehensive immigration reform.
My administration is deeply involved in this issue. I feel passionate about the issue. I
believe it's in this country's interest to solve the problem. I believe it's in our interest
when we find a system that is broken to fix it, and the immigration system today is
broken. And I've asked Michael and Carlos Gutierrez to work the issue on the Hill, and
these men are doing good work. They understand the issue, they understand the bill,
and they understand they need to work with the Republicans and Democrats to get the
job done.
I say the system isn't working because there's a lot of Americans who say that the
government is not enforcing our border. I say the system is broken because there are
people coming into America to do work that Americans are not doing, and there are
good, decent employers who unknowingly are hiring them, which is against the law.
The system is broken, in my judgment, because there are 11 million to 12 million
people living in the shadows of a free society. The system is broken because there
are people who are exploiting human beings for material gain. There are coyotes--
those are human smugglers -- charging decent people large sums of money to come
and work to put food on the table for their families.
There's a document forgery industry in place, because the system is broken, providing
people with false documentation so they can do work that Americans are not doing in
order to provide for their families. There are so-called innkeepers providing
substandard hovels for people who are smuggled into our country. In other words, we
have got a system that is causing people -- good, decent people -- to be exploited. And
therefore, now is the time to get it fixed.
For those concerned about border security, this bill focuses on border security. For
those concerned about making sure that we have workers available to do jobs --
decent jobs to make sure our economy continues to grow, this bill addresses that
issue. For those concerned that we must enable 11 million to 12 million people to
come out of the shadows of our society, this bill addresses that. To those concerned
about whether or not America will still have the capacity to assimilate the newly arrived,
it addresses that issue, too.
This is a good piece of legislation. I'm sure some of you in the audience here will say,
well, it's not perfect, there are some aspects of the bill that I would like to see changed.
On a piece of legislation this complicated, the question people have to answer is, are
we going to sacrifice the good for the sake of the perfect? And my call to you is, is that
we need to work on a comprehensive bill together. First of all, I know you're already
doing that, so I'm really here to thank you.
I want to address a couple of the key issues that people are addressing. If you want to
kill a bill, then you just go around America saying, this is amnesty. In other words,
there are some words that elicit strong reactions from our fellow citizens. Amnesty is
when a person breaks the law and is completely forgiven for having done so. This bill
isn't amnesty. For those who call it amnesty, they're just trying to, in my judgment,
frighten people about the bill.
This bill is one that says, we recognize that you're here illegally and there's a
consequence for it. We can argue about the consequences, but you can't argue about
the fact that there are consequences in this bill for people who have broken our law.
People say, well, the bill is really -- is not going to do much to enforce the border. Well,
the truth of the matter is, certain aspects of the law don't come into be until certain
border measures are taken. But I would remind people that you cannot fully enforce
the border so long as people are trying to sneak in this country to do jobs Americans
aren't doing. You can try, but doesn't it make sense to help the Border Patrol do their
job, by saying, if you're going to come and do a job, there is a legal way to do it, so you
don't have to sneak across in the first place? If you're interested in border security,
you've got to recognize that giving people a chance to come and work here on a
temporary basis makes it more likely the border will be enforced.
There are some who -- I don't know if they say this explicitly, but they certainly allege or
hint that probably the best way to deal with 11 million to 12 million people is to get
them to leave the country. That's impossible. That's the kind of statement that
sometimes happens in the political process aimed to inflame passion, but it's
completely unrealistic. It's not going to happen. And therefore, the fundamental
question for those who disagree -- and there's some good folks who disagree on both
political parties, I might add -- is, what's the solution?
This bill is not amnesty, but it recognizes that it is impossible for this country to rout
people out of our society and "send them home." It's just not going to happen. And so
good people have come together and derived a solution based upon compromises
that addresses this problem in a humane way.
I recently gave a speech at the Coast Guard Academy, and I was preceded by a young
man, a Latino, who stood up as the head of his class, addressing his classmates and
their families and the President of the United States. And he talked about his migrant
grandfather, how proud the migrant grandfather would be. It struck me again what a
remarkable country it is where a person with a dream for his immediate family and
future family could come to this country, work hard, make sacrifices, and have his
grandson address the President and his class.
This has been the American story for decades and decades -- waves of people
looking for a better life, seeking something better for themselves and their families,
willing to sacrifice and work hard. And we've got to understand -- and great successes
have resulted from that spirit. And this country must never lose sight that what has
made us unique and, in my judgment, great is that we welcome people like that in a
legal way; that throughout our history there have been the stories of people who have
enriched our soul and lifted our spirit by coming to America.
One of the great things about our country is we've had the capacity to welcome people
throughout our history. And we've become all Americans. We've got different
backgrounds, different heritages, our forefathers may have spoken different
languages, but we're all American. We've been able to assimilate under the laws and
traditions of our country. And as a result, we're a stronger nation for it.
America must not fear diversity. We ought to welcome diversity. We ought to have
confidence in what we have done in the past, and not lose confidence about what we
will do in the future.
And so I want to thank you all for joining on a really important piece of legislation. It's
the right thing to do. It's the right approach to take. It is right to address a problem. It is
right to work with people in both political parties. It is right to argue for what you
believe, and recognize that compromise might be necessary to move the bill along.
And it is right to take political risk for members of the United States Congress.
I say -- I don't think this is risky, frankly. I don't view this as risk reward. I, frankly, view it
as doing what you ought to do. See, people ought to be running for office to do what's
right for the United States of America. That's what I believe people run for office for. And
so I want you to know that you've got an administration that looks forward to working
with people. I will do my best to make sure that this debate does not denigrate into
name-calling and finger-pointing. And we'll spend energy and time and effort to help
you advance a really important piece of legislation for the good of this country.
I've come by to say thanks. Chertoff and Gutierrez can tell you how the bill has gotten
this far and what we see in the future. But I'm looking forward to signing a bill, and I
think we will. I truly believe that when people with goodwill and good heart, and focus
on helping this country come together, that we can get a good piece of legislation out.
And I'm looking forward to signing it. I hope you'll be there when I do.
God bless. Thank you. (Applause.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: White House Press Office
Law Offices of Giuseppe Scagliarini
| Giuseppe Scagliarini, Esq. 37 Harrison Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Phone: +401-849-1220 Fax +401-633-7055 E-Mail: info@scagliarinilaw.com |
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Press Release Source: White House Press Office
Remarks by the President in Briefing on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Friday June 1, 2:53 pm ET
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Room 350
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
1:26 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. First, I thank you very much for
your hard work on a comprehensive immigration bill and your concern about our
country. And the two go hand-in-hand. I believe that now is the time to address the
issue of immigration. I think it's in our national security interests, and I think it's in the
interest of making sure America never loses sight of who we are.
This is a difficult issue for a lot of folks. I understand that. But because it's difficult
probably means we need to work doubly hard to get it done. And now is the time to get
it done. No matter how difficult it may seem for some politically, I strongly believe it's in
this nation's interest for people here in Washington to show courage and resolve and
pass a comprehensive immigration reform.
I say the system isn't working because there's a lot of Americans who say that the
government is not enforcing our border. I say the system is broken because there are
people coming into America to do work that Americans are not doing, and there are
good, decent employers who unknowingly are hiring them, which is against the law.
The system is broken, in my judgment, because there are 11 million to 12 million
people living in the shadows of a free society. The system is broken because there
are people who are exploiting human beings for material gain. There are coyotes--
those are human smugglers -- charging decent people large sums of money to come
and work to put food on the table for their families.
There's a document forgery industry in place, because the system is broken, providing
people with false documentation so they can do work that Americans are not doing in
order to provide for their families. There are so-called innkeepers providing
substandard hovels for people who are smuggled into our country. In other words, we
have got a system that is causing people -- good, decent people -- to be exploited. And
therefore, now is the time to get it fixed.
For those concerned about border security, this bill focuses on border security. For
those concerned about making sure that we have workers available to do jobs --
decent jobs to make sure our economy continues to grow, this bill addresses that
issue. For those concerned that we must enable 11 million to 12 million people to
come out of the shadows of our society, this bill addresses that. To those concerned
about whether or not America will still have the capacity to assimilate the newly arrived,
it addresses that issue, too.
This is a good piece of legislation. I'm sure some of you in the audience here will say,
well, it's not perfect, there are some aspects of the bill that I would like to see changed.
On a piece of legislation this complicated, the question people have to answer is, are
we going to sacrifice the good for the sake of the perfect? And my call to you is, is that
we need to work on a comprehensive bill together. First of all, I know you're already
doing that, so I'm really here to thank you.
I want to address a couple of the key issues that people are addressing. If you want to
kill a bill, then you just go around America saying, this is amnesty. In other words,
there are some words that elicit strong reactions from our fellow citizens. Amnesty is
when a person breaks the law and is completely forgiven for having done so. This bill
isn't amnesty. For those who call it amnesty, they're just trying to, in my judgment,
frighten people about the bill.
This bill is one that says, we recognize that you're here illegally and there's a
consequence for it. We can argue about the consequences, but you can't argue about
the fact that there are consequences in this bill for people who have broken our law.
People say, well, the bill is really -- is not going to do much to enforce the border. Well,
the truth of the matter is, certain aspects of the law don't come into be until certain
border measures are taken. But I would remind people that you cannot fully enforce
the border so long as people are trying to sneak in this country to do jobs Americans
aren't doing. You can try, but doesn't it make sense to help the Border Patrol do their
job, by saying, if you're going to come and do a job, there is a legal way to do it, so you
don't have to sneak across in the first place? If you're interested in border security,
you've got to recognize that giving people a chance to come and work here on a
temporary basis makes it more likely the border will be enforced.
There are some who -- I don't know if they say this explicitly, but they certainly allege or
hint that probably the best way to deal with 11 million to 12 million people is to get
them to leave the country. That's impossible. That's the kind of statement that
sometimes happens in the political process aimed to inflame passion, but it's
completely unrealistic. It's not going to happen. And therefore, the fundamental
question for those who disagree -- and there's some good folks who disagree on both
political parties, I might add -- is, what's the solution?
This bill is not amnesty, but it recognizes that it is impossible for this country to rout
people out of our society and "send them home." It's just not going to happen. And so
good people have come together and derived a solution based upon compromises
that addresses this problem in a humane way.
I recently gave a speech at the Coast Guard Academy, and I was preceded by a young
man, a Latino, who stood up as the head of his class, addressing his classmates and
their families and the President of the United States. And he talked about his migrant
grandfather, how proud the migrant grandfather would be. It struck me again what a
remarkable country it is where a person with a dream for his immediate family and
future family could come to this country, work hard, make sacrifices, and have his
grandson address the President and his class.
This has been the American story for decades and decades -- waves of people
looking for a better life, seeking something better for themselves and their families,
willing to sacrifice and work hard. And we've got to understand -- and great successes
have resulted from that spirit. And this country must never lose sight that what has
made us unique and, in my judgment, great is that we welcome people like that in a
legal way; that throughout our history there have been the stories of people who have
enriched our soul and lifted our spirit by coming to America.
One of the great things about our country is we've had the capacity to welcome people
throughout our history. And we've become all Americans. We've got different
backgrounds, different heritages, our forefathers may have spoken different
languages, but we're all American. We've been able to assimilate under the laws and
traditions of our country. And as a result, we're a stronger nation for it.
America must not fear diversity. We ought to welcome diversity. We ought to have
confidence in what we have done in the past, and not lose confidence about what we
will do in the future.
And so I want to thank you all for joining on a really important piece of legislation. It's
the right thing to do. It's the right approach to take. It is right to address a problem. It is
right to work with people in both political parties. It is right to argue for what you
believe, and recognize that compromise might be necessary to move the bill along.
And it is right to take political risk for members of the United States Congress.
I say -- I don't think this is risky, frankly. I don't view this as risk reward. I, frankly, view it
as doing what you ought to do. See, people ought to be running for office to do what's
right for the United States of America. That's what I believe people run for office for. And
so I want you to know that you've got an administration that looks forward to working
with people. I will do my best to make sure that this debate does not denigrate into
name-calling and finger-pointing. And we'll spend energy and time and effort to help
you advance a really important piece of legislation for the good of this country.
I've come by to say thanks. Chertoff and Gutierrez can tell you how the bill has gotten
this far and what we see in the future. But I'm looking forward to signing a bill, and I
think we will. I truly believe that when people with goodwill and good heart, and focus
on helping this country come together, that we can get a good piece of legislation out.
And I'm looking forward to signing it. I hope you'll be there when I do.
God bless. Thank you. (Applause.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: White House Press Office