Full Text, Bush Speech.

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, here's the full text of Bush's speech. Click "read more" to see it.

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 automatic, 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.

I can understand allowing people who have been here for five or more years, have jobs and a family and haven't been arrested, to remain if they want to be American citizens and give up their former allegience.

I can understand allowing anyone who has served in our military honorably to become an American citizen.

But a blanket amnesty as proposed by Bush under a "guest worker plan" is wrong, is unfair and provides some kind of favored nation status to Mexico. Sorry - we owe them not one dinero.

As far as sending 5,000 National Guardsmen to the border, that isn't enough. Its a sop. And what are they to do? Provide technical expertise?

We need several times that number who are armed and able to physically stop illegal invaders.

We need a law that allows the Federal government to sieze the assets of any business which knowingly hires illegals and sell them to defray government expenses cleaning up this mess.

We need a National I.D. card linked to a birth certificate database to identify illegals when they seek benefits or a job so they can be deported.

We need a wall along the Mexican border to make it clear we mean business and to keep illegals out.

And most of all, Congress needs to heed the wishes of the vast majority of Americans on this subject and ignore exploiters of foreign labor, Latino pressure groups, and most of ..... President Bush on this subject.

And if they don't regardless of party, they should be sent packing in June and November.

On illegal invaders and border security, Bush has lost touch with reality.

The ONLY way Americans are allwwing Congress and the President to get away with giving away our birthrights is because they really don't appreacaite what it means to be an American. More of these illegal inivaders understand that than do many of us.

Sorry, but I believe your stories are lies. I find people to help me in CA every day for wages similar to what you are quoting and they are not ILLEGALS.

I get my lawn mowed for 50 bucks a month by AMERICAN citizens, every two weeks like clock work. No ILLEGALS in sight. Why can't you? I had high school kids move me for 25 bucks a head for a couple hours work. Why can't you?

I believe you are lying to prove a point, an old liberal trick that open borders crowd and other so called conservatives are not to proud to emulate.

I'll be home on election day....

You need to get your rear end out there and vote. You don't have to vote for Republicans if you don't want to. There are third party candidates if you need them (don't EVER vote Democrat), but don't you dare stay home. Anyone who skips out on his civic duty and best opportunity to help guide the country has no right to call himself conservative.

Senate passes the Sessions/Nelson bill. After adjustments with the House it goes to Bush. Bush signs it, Repubs gain seats.

If he vetoes it, the Dems will run on Bush not controlling his right wingers and more seats will be picked up by the Repubs.

I don't know one person who supports the national Democratic party stand on this.

This virtual high-tech fence sounds like a total loser to me. Stray dogs, jackrabbits, almost anything will set it off.

What we need is what the Israelis have built. Solid concrete, 20 feet high WITH the cameras, motion sensors and patrols.

6,000 National Guard troops doesn't sound like much to me. And I am a bit dismayed about the way he stresses that all they are doing is supporting the Border Patrol, but I guess that unless the Posse Comitatus Act is repealed, that's about all they can do.

A mixed bag speech. I give it about a 6 on a scale of 10.

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 automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law.

Uh, excuse me Mr. President, those are the same talking points that democrats are using? And I honestly feel that it is amnesty. Aliens who are here illegally need to go home to be in the back of the line, After all, we ARE a nation of laws, as you stated? Why should lawbreakers, especially alien lawbreakers, be allowed to remain in this country (in front of the line when considering that a person who has applied for citizenship from any other country has to wait IN THAT COUNTRY while the illegal alien who has sneaked across our borders gets to stay here while he waits for his legality????????????????????????????????????

Maybe I just don't get it, but that sure seems like preferential citizenship (read amnesty) for those who came to the US illegally while the immigrant who has applied legally has to wait?????

The illegals came here for one reason, and one reason alone. And that was to find a job. If the jobs that illegals are hired to do dry up, the vast majority of illegals would find their way back home. The employers of the illegals need to be fined and jailed to reverse this foreign invasion......

Before I read a single comment, I will just say that I think this speech set exactly the right tone. It emphasizes physical security but also allows for guest workers and a citizenship track, without which no system can succeed. IMHO, Bush hit this one out of the park.

I know there are some who may think it is not enough, too little, too late. To those, I say that the President does not have the luxury of pie-in-the-sky thinking. He cannot bloviate without coming up with real solutions. Some past Presidents have, but this particular President takes his responsibility seriously.

So, Kudos to President Bush. I cannot imagine a better speech to be given in this situation.

I like living on an island. We don't have this problem. But it seems to me like illegal immigration is being used here as a wedge issue, and Bush is doing a poor job of dividing the country over it. A lot of the posts I've read decry Bush for this. The only thing this is doing is driving a wedge between the Republican party. That is my view from across the pond.

Tony Blair is reportedly stepping down. His approval rating is 4% less than Bush.

Politics as usual. No matter what, I'm paying for another welfare state.

In 2008, I'll be voting next to people who snuck into the country illegally. However, I'll be much more careful about who I vote for.

Not that it will matter...

Agree with turning off the spigot. . .no FREE lunches and 'et al' perks, period.

. . .but despite those who say. . .we have our OWN work force to take care of these jobs, thankyou. . .the truth of the matter is we do not. . .and the majority of those here are working and we need them to continue doing so. . .

. . .but we can slow this down. . .and send back those who are not inclined to the higher aspects of citizenship by requiring some personal responsibility towards being a 'good citizen'. . .and change the old citizenship initiation; requiring more than 'birth on our soil'. . .(parents not legal. . .baby not legal. . .)

And instead of our employers being fined for employing illegals. . .confiscate instead, the monies currently being paid back to Vicente Fox by 'virtue' of his Mexican citizens working in U.S.A. . .

And send every illegal revolutionary and gang member and law breaker. . .home; no matter where it is, immediately. . .

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