Text 2757, 500 rader
Skriven 2006-06-01 23:34:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060601) for Thu, 2006 Jun 1
==================================================
===========================================================================
President Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 1, 2006

President Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform
United States Chamber of Commerce
Washington, D.C.


˙˙˙˙˙ Fact Sheet: Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Improving Worksite
Enforcement ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Immigration ˙˙˙˙˙

8:50 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all, please be seated. (Applause.) Thank you.
(Applause.) Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you all. I told
Michael to keep it short -- (laughter) -- and he did. Thanks for having me.
Speaking about short, it's a short commute from where I work and live to
this place. Thanks for having me, Tom.

I'm honored to be back here at the Chamber. I'm proud to be with some of
America's finest entrepreneurs, job creators, risk-takers. And I'm also
proud to be with leaders from the National Citizen Corps. I thank you all
for joining us today. I thank you for representing the true strength of
America, which are those who are willing to volunteer in our communities to
make the country a better place. We got people from the Citizen Corps from
all different backgrounds -- from business associations to government
agencies, to community groups, to schools, to non-profits, to advocates for
the disabled, and emergency responders.

Citizen Corps is making a significant difference in our country. When the
hurricanes hit our Gulf Coast last year, members of the Citizen Corps
played a critical role in the relief efforts. I want to thank you for
answering the call to service. Congress needs to provide the Citizen Corps
with the funding you need to keep our communities safe and prepared for
emergencies.

Today, I want to talk about immigration, talk about the need for this
country to have a comprehensive immigration reform. I'm going to spend a
little time on making sure that work force enforcement is effective and an
integral part of making sure we have a comprehensive immigration reform.

Before I do, I want to thank the Chamber very much for your strong advocacy
of comprehensive immigration reform. I want to thank you and I want to
thank your members for being an articulate, rational voice in the
immigration debate.

I want to thank Chertoff for his service to our country. Excuse me --
Secretary Chertoff. Sometimes if you're from West Texas, you get a little
familiar. (Laughter.) Still adjusting to the protocols here in Washington.
(Laughter.) Of course, he knew what I was talking about.

I want to thank Ralph Basham, the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection. Thank you for being here, Ralph. Thanks for your
service. Ralph ran the Secret Service so ably. Did such a fine job, I asked
him to serve in this capacity. And he'll do a fine job there.

I want to thank David Aguilar. He's the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.
David, it's good to see you. David and I recently went down to the border,
and we took a good look at this long border. It gave me a chance to see
firsthand what's taking place down there. It also gave me a chance to thank
the Border Patrol agents, men and women who are working every day to do our
job. And I want to thank you for your leadership.

I thank Julie Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. I want to thank Tracy Henke, Assistant Secretary, Office of
Grants and Training for DHS. She is the chair of the National Citizen Corps
Council. Again, thank you all for letting me come by.

One of the jobs of the government is to encourage entrepreneurship. We've
done so in this administration, and as a result, America's risk-takers are
-- and business owners, both small and large, are hiring people. If you
want a job in America, you can find a job in America. This economy of ours
is growing at 3.5 percent last year, 5.3 percent in the first quarter of
this year. The national unemployment rate is 4.7 percent; 5.2 million new
jobs have been created since August of 2003; small businesses are
flourishing; productivity is high, after-tax income is up; home ownership
is at an all-time level. This economy of the United States is strong, and
we intend to keep it that way. (Applause.)

And the U.S. Chamber has been a strong supporter in making sure that
Congress has sensible policies to keep this economy strong. And one of the
most sensible things the United States Congress can do is to make the tax
cuts we passed permanent. (Applause.)

You'll hear talk in Washington that says, well, you've got to raise taxes
on people in order to balance the budget. That's not how Washington works.
They're going to raise your taxes and they're going to figure out new ways
to spend your money. The best way to balance this budget is to keep
pro-growth economic policies in place and be fiscally wise about how we
spend your money.

Pro-growth economic policies generate additional revenues for our treasury.
Last year revenues exceeded expectations by about $100 billion. This July
we're going to find out whether it happened again. I hope it does. I think
it might, because we're growing this economy. When the economy grows people
pay taxes. And so the fundamental question is not whether or not we're
going to have more revenues, the fundamental question is if we're going to
have rational spending in order to balance this budget.

I told the United States Congress to get a $92.2 billion supplemental to my
desk. It's money needed to fund our troops. It's money needed to help the
people down there in -- that we're affected by the hurricanes. It's money
to do important other measures. But if they bust the $92.2 billion I'm
going to veto it. It's important for Washington to have fiscal sanity in
order to balance this budget. (Applause.)

The fundamental question facing this country is, do we fear the future, or
do we intend to shape it. I intend to shape the future so America remains
the economic leader in the world, which means we've got the have a good
legal policy. I want to thank the Chamber for being on the leading edge
opposing -- and enabling me to sign meaningful tort reform. We don't need
junk lawsuits running good people out of business. We don't need junk
lawsuits running good doctors out of practice. What this country needs is a
rational legal system that is fair and balanced. So I'm going to continue
to work for tort reform in the halls of Congress.

We need a health care system that takes care of the elderly and the poor,
but also recognizes that the best health care system is one in which the
decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats right here
in Washington, D.C.

We need energy policy that's wise. We got a problem in America. We're too
dependent on oil from parts of the world where people may not necessarily
like us. So I proposed an advanced energy initiative, and I want to thank
the Chamber for supporting me on helping this country diversify away from
hydrocarbons.

Today I want to talk about immigration, and the Chamber of Commerce
understands that in order for this country to be an economic leader, in
order for this country to be a country that upholds our values, we've got
to have an immigration system that is secure and orderly and fair.

For decades, this country has not been in control of its borders. Yet we
have an obligation to the American people to secure our borders. That's a
solemn obligation of the federal government. And as a result of not
securing our borders, many who want to work in this economy have been able
to sneak across.

This is an issue I'm familiar with, since I was the governor of Texas. You
got to understand, there are people in our neighborhood who are desperate
to put food on the table for their families. And if they, say, make $7 in
America versus 50 cents where they live, and they want to support their
families, guess what -- they're going to try to sneak across the border.
And many have been able to do so. And that illegal immigration has put
pressure on our schools and hospitals, it's strained state and local
budgets, and in some instances, bring crime to our neighborhood.

We have got to remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are
decent people. They're hardworking people. They're people who love their
families, people of faith, and people who lead responsible lives. They're
part of American life and they are vital to our economy, and yet they're
beyond the reach and protection of American law.

This nation is a nation of laws. And we're going to enforce our laws.
That's what the American people expect. But we're also a nation of
immigrants. And we must uphold that tradition which has strengthened this
nation in so many ways. These aren't contradictory goals. America can be a
lawful society and America can be a welcoming society at the same time.

Congress is moving forward on immigration reform. The House started this
debate by passing a bill that focuses on border security and interior
enforcement. Then the Senate had its debate, and it passed a comprehensive
bill that also includes a temporary worker program and a plan to resolve
the status of illegal immigrants who are already in this country. And now
the two versions must be worked out in a conference committee.

The House and Senate bills will require effort and compromise on both
sides. It's a difficult task. Yet the difficulty of this task is no excuse
for avoiding it. The American people expect us to meet our responsibility
and deliver immigration reform that fixes the problems in the current
system, that upholds our ideals and provides a fair and practical way
forward.

The United States Congress needs to pass a comprehensive bill, one that
will accomplish five objectives. First, a comprehensive reform bill must
help us secure our borders. The border should be open to trade and lawful
immigration, and shut to illegal immigrants, as well as criminals, drug
dealers and terrorists.

Since I became President, we've increased funding for border security by 66
percent. We've expanded the Border Patrol from about 9,000 to 12,000
agents. As I told the folks down there, David, in Yuma, I am proud of the
Border Patrol, and so should the American people. Do you realize that over
the past five years, the men and women of the Border Patrol, working under
incredibly difficult circumstances, have apprehended and sent home about 6
million people entering this county illegally. There's some people working
hard down there on our behalf.

Despite the progress, despite the fact that they've turned back 6 million
people in five years, we don't have full control of this border. And I'm
determined to change that. I called on Congress to provide funding for
dramatic improvements in manpower and technology on the border. And so by
the end of 2008, we'll increase the number of Border Patrol agents by an
additional 6,000. In other words, we will have doubled the size of the
Border Patrol during my presidency.

That's not going to be enough to do our job of securing the border. That's
what you've got to understand. And so these Border Patrol agents need help.
And the best way to help the Border Patrol is to construct high-tech fences
in urban areas, urban corridors, to build patrol roads and barriers in
rural areas. We're going to create a virtual fence that employs motion
protectors and infrared cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles to detect and
prevent illegal crossings. What I'm telling you is that we're going to have
a border that is smart and secure.

And the best way to do that is to have Border Patrol agents, and then give
them the most advanced technology so they can do their job. Training
thousands of new Border Patrol agents and deploying the most advanced
technology is going to take time. Yet, the need to secure this border is
urgent. And so I'm acting. This month, National Guard units will deploy to
the border to set up headquarters that will help coordinate Guard
operations that will support the Border Patrol. In other words, we'll be
training 6,000 additional agents, but in the meantime, I'm going to send
6,000 National Guard down there. These forces are the first of 6,000
members that are going to assist the Border Patrol. They're going to
operate surveillance systems and analyze intelligence, and install fences
and vehicle barriers, and build patrol roads and provide training. In other
words, they're going to be a complement to the Border Patrol.

The Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities.
That's the job of the Border Patrol. The United States is not going to
militarize our border. What we're going to do is support those who we hire
to do the job of enforcing the border.

As new Border Patrol agents and technologies come on line, the Guard forces
are going to be reduced. The federal government is working to conclude
formal agreements with California and Arizona and New Mexico and Texas that
will define the roles and responsibilities of National Guard units
deploying to the Southern border. We're going to work closely with the
governors of those states to secure this border. Also in touch with the
chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Blum, to make sure that we get
those 6,000 Guard down there to help the Border Patrol do their job.

I also recognize the role of local and state enforcement authorities to
help David and his people do the job. And so we'll increase federal funding
for state and local authorities assisting our Border Patrol on targeted
enforcement missions; as well, we're going to give specialized training to
certain state and local folks so they can complement the Border Patrol.

One of the problems we have down there is we got people working hard to
find people, and in some instances, they apprehend somebody, then they head
right into our society. That's frustrating for the Border Patrol agents. We
got people working long, long hours down there, and they catch somebody
sneaking into our country, and they say, hey, go over here to this legal
proceeding and, since the courts are full, just check back with us in 45
days. The problem is a lot of people who want to put food on the table, or
want to do other things, don't check back. That's a program that needs to
end.

See, most of the people we catch at the border trying to enter illegally
are Mexicans, and 85 percent of them are sent right back home within 24
hours. But the real problem we've had is when we catch illegal immigrants
from other countries trying to come in. It's easy to send people back into
Mexico; it's hard to send somebody to a country south of Mexico, for
example.

One of the problems we've had, we didn't have enough detention space. So
we've get the Border Patrol agents working hard, they catch somebody from a
country other than Mexico coming into our country and no place to put them.
And so part of our strategy is to end catch-and-release by expanding the
number of beds in detention facilities along the border. We've added some
and we're going to add more. We're going to add enough to be able to end
catch-and-release.

We've also expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation time.
I've been in touch, as has my administration, with foreign governments
where we tell them, you got to take your citizens back. When we catch one
of your citizens coming in you have an obligation to take that person back
into your society. We've ended catch-and-release for illegal immigrants
from the key Central American countries; now Congress needs to provide
additional funding and legal authority so we can end catch-and-release at
the Southern border once and for all.

The strategy is this: We're going to enforce our border. When we catch you
we're going to send you home -- so that the message is very clear, and that
is, you're going to be sent home if we catch you illegally, which means
don't try to come in in the first place, illegally.

Second, in order to have a comprehensive reform bill, we have to have a
temporary worker program. Part of securing this border is a temporary
worker program. You see, there are people who will do anything to come into
this country to work. That's what you got to understand. People are
motivated by a desire in many cases -- in most cases, to support the
family. I used to tell people in Texas, family values do not stop at the
Rio Grande. And so, therefore, it shouldn't surprise you when people hike
across the hot desert to -- and risking their lives to come and work, or
are willing to get stuffed in the back of an 18-wheeler to come and do a
job others won't do here in America.

The fact that people are willing to take those risks puts enormous pressure
on our border, so much pressure that walls and patrols aren't going to stop
it. In other words, you got people saying, I'll do anything to come and
work, just give me a chance. And we can put up -- we can have a lot of
patrols and a lot of walls, and it's not going to stop that flow. It will
put a dent in it. But if the job is to secure this border, it seems like to
me we got to stop the number of people who are trying to sneak across in
the first place. And the best way to do that is to make a temporary worker
program a part of immigration reform. The program would create a legal path
for foreign workers to enter this country in an orderly way for a limited
period of time. It 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 a
criminal background check. Temporary workers must return to their homes at
the conclusion of their stay. A temporary worker program would meet the
legitimate needs of American employers, and it would give an honest
immigrant a chance to contribute to our economy and at the same time
provide for their families. A temporary worker program would reduce the
appeal of human smugglers and make it less likely people would have to risk
their lives to cross this border. A temporary worker program would ease the
financial burden on state and local governments by replacing illegal
workers with lawful taxpayers. And above all, the temporary worker program
would add to the security of this country by making certain we know who is
coming into this country and why they're here.

Third, a comprehensive reform bill must hold employers to account for the
workers they hire. It is against the law to hire someone who is in this
country illegally. Those are the laws of the United States of America, and
they must be upheld.

To ensure our laws are enforced, we've increased funding for immigration
enforcement inside this country by 42 percent since I took office. Last
year, I signed a bill that doubled federal resources for work site
enforcement. We've launched law enforcement task forces in 11 major cities
to dismantle criminal rings that are producing fake documents. Not only do
we have a whole industry that's evolved to smuggle people in -- you ever
hear the word coyote? These are these folks that are willing to use human
life as a commodity, to make money off of somebody. We've also got document
forgers, too. See, there's a whole industry that's sprung as a result of
enforcement -- an immigration system that isn't working. And so we're out
to bust those document forgers.

Most American businesses want to abide by the law. Many are unable to
determine whether their workers are legal, however, because of this
document fraud. Today, there's an industry that's making these ID and
fraudulent Social Security numbers. See, American employers who check these
documents often discover that the names of their workers don't match their
Social Security numbers. So then we've got people trying to verify, doing
what they're expected to do under the law. But when this happens, the
employer receives a "no match" letter from the Social Security
Administration, yet under current law, the immigration enforcement agents
at the Department of Homeland Security are not informed of these
mismatches. The system isn't working.

See, we need to address problems and ensure that agents can enforce the
law. Business owners should not have to act as detectives to verify the
legal status of their workers. And so the federal government has the
responsibility to ensure that businesses have a clear and reliable way to
check work documents. We have that responsibility. If we expect people to
adhere to the law that you're not supposed to hire somebody illegally, we
have a responsibility here in Washington, D.C. to help you verify
documents.

One thing we've done is we've launched what's called Basic Pilot. Basic
Pilot is a voluntary online verification system that allows employers to
confirm the eligibility of new hires by checking the information they
provide against federal databases. If there's a mismatch, the applicant
then has eight working days to contest the finding. By giving employers a
quick and practical way to verify Social Security numbers, Basic Pilot
gives employers confidence that their workers are legal, improves the
accuracy of wage and tax reporting, and helps ensure that those who obey
our laws are not undercut by illegal workers.

Basic Pilot, just a while ago, was only available in six states; now it's
nationwide. As I told you, the program is optional. The truth of the matter
is, most employers do not participate. Now, the House and the Senate
immigration bills would require employers to use Basic Pilot. I think this
is sensible. I think if we want to enforce our laws, people ought to be
required to check to see whether or not names and numbers match. Homeland
Security, by the way, in order for it to work, needs more money to make
sure that the program is up and running.

Now, the other thing we need to do besides good verification procedures is
to develop a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. The
card should be tamper-proof. It ought to use biometric technology such as
digital fingerprints. We got the technology to do this. It makes sense to
have somebody who's going to be here legally working on a temporary basis
to have a card that will allow American employers to know that the foreign
job applicant is who he or she says she is, or he is. A tamper-proof card
is going to be a vital tool to enforce the law, and it's got to be a part
of a comprehensive immigration reform package.

Improving enforcement for immigration laws also requires stiffening the
penalties for those violating the laws. Today the fine for a business that
fails to check an employee's ID can be as low as $100. You might as well
pay a speeding ticket. A penalty for knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant
can be as low as $250 and can't exceed $2,000. These low penalties,
frankly, provide little incentive for dishonest businesses to obey the law.
And so we got to increase the penalties. If we want to be smart about work
site enforcement, we got to say to somebody who's breaking the law, there's
going to be a cost, and it's more than $250. And so the fines need to be
larger.

The whole point and purpose of what I've just described to you is to assure
the American people that we've got a plan in place; that says to the
employers, this is going to help you determine whether or not who you're
hiring should be here in the first place. Secondly, it's going to help get
rid of document fraud. I repeat, we don't want our employers becoming
document experts. That's not their -- they're trying to get a job done.

And thirdly, we want to make sure that when we catch you, there's a
consequence. You know, most American businesses are law-abiding. They
really do want to uphold the law. They understand there's a responsibility
to be an American, and that is to uphold the laws of the land. And yet,
we've got to recognize there are some unscrupulous folks who want to take
advantage of low-cost labor. Illegal workers can be paid less than the
market rate, see. And guess what -- when you're illegal and you're worried
about being detected, you can be exploited. And that's not the American
way. We don't like people living in the shadows of our society. We're a
nation of the rule of law, and we want people to be treated with respect.
And so people who -- businesses that knowingly employ illegal workers
undermine this law and undermine the spirit of America. And we're not going
to tolerate it in this country.

Fourthly, a comprehensive reform bill has got to address the reality that
millions of illegal immigrants are here already. Now, these folks should
not be given an automatic path to citizenship. That is called amnesty. I
oppose amnesty. I opposed amnesty because it would be unfair to those
people who are here lawfully, and I oppose amnesty because it would invite
further waves of illegal immigrants.

One of the difficult tasks before the House and the Senate is deciding how
American law will treat the illegal immigrants now in our country. Some
members of Congress argue that no one who came to this country illegally
should be allowed to continue living and working in our country, and that
any plan that allows them to stay equals amnesty, no matter how many
conditions we impose. Listen, I appreciate the members are acting on deeply
felt principles. I understand that. Yet I also believe that the approach
they suggest is wrong and unrealistic. There's a rational middle ground
between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal
immigrant and a program that requires every illegal immigrant to leave. The
middle ground recognizes there are differences between an illegal immigrant
who crossed the border recently, and someone who has worked here for many
years who's got a home, a family, and a clean record.

My position is clear: I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in
our country and who 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
eventually permitted to apply for citizenship like other foreign workers.
But approval would not be automatic. They would have to wait in line behind
those who played by the rules and followed the law. This isn't amnesty. It
is a practical and reasonable way for those who have broken the law to pay
their debt to society and demonstrate the character that makes a good
citizen.

Fifth, a comprehensive bill must honor the great American tradition of the
melting pot, which has made us one nation out of many peoples. This debate
is an interesting debate. It gets quite emotional, and sometimes, an
emotion -- in all the emotions, we forget we are a land of immigrants.
Success of this country has depended and will depend upon helping newcomers
assimilate into our society, and help folks 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. As business owners and community leaders, you know that
English is the key to unlocking the opportunity of America. See, English
allows a newcomer to go from picking crops to opening a grocery store.
English allows a newcomer from sweeping an office floor to running that
office. English allows someone to go from a low-paying job to a diploma, a
career, and home ownership. When immigrants assimilate and advance in our
society, they realize their dreams. And as they do, they renew our spirit
and they add to the unity of our country.

As the Chamber, you appreciate the great contributions immigrants have made
to America's freedom and prosperity, and you know their importance for the
future of this nation. And so you're helping this country reach consensus
by conducting the debate on immigration in a reasoned and respectful tone.
And I appreciate that a lot.

I urge our fellow citizens to understand that harsh language, unnecessary
politics sends the wrong message about who we are as a nation. I appreciate
the fact you're working for an immigration bill that is comprehensive. That
makes a lot of sense because you know that all the elements of this problem
must be addressed together, or none of them will be solved at all.

Throughout our long history, America has prospered because we welcome
people who abided by our laws and worked hard and raised their families and
trusted in the Almighty. I believe we must be guided by that history as we
reform our immigration system. I trust in our country's genius for making
us all Americans, one nation under God. And I'm confident that the United
States Congress will do its duty and pass an immigration bill that secures
our borders, strengthens our laws, and upholds the promise of the United
States of America.

May God bless you all. (Applause.)

END 9:25 A.M. EDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060601.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)