Text 3498, 111 rader
Skriven 2006-10-26 23:31:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (061026) for Thu, 2006 Oct 26
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President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 26, 2006

President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act
The Roosevelt Room

President's Remarks view

˙˙˙˙˙ Fact Sheet: The Secure Fence Act of 2006 ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Homeland
Security ˙˙˙˙˙

9:34 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks. Please be seated. I'm pleased that
you all are here to witness the signature of the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our
borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform.

I want to thank the members of Congress for their work on this important
piece of legislation. I welcome you here to the White House. I'm looking
forward to signing this bill.

I appreciate the Vice President joining us today. I thank the Deputy
Secretary, Michael Jackson, of the Department of Homeland Security. Rob
Portman -- he happens to be the Director of OMB. I want to thank Ralph
Basham, who is the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
David Aguilar is the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.

I appreciate the fact that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has joined us,
as well as House Majority Leader John Boehner. I appreciate them coming in
from their respective states as I sign this piece of legislation. I want to
thank Congressman Peter King, who's the Chairman of the Homeland Security
Committee in the House of Representatives. I appreciate you being here,
Peter.

Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. Unfortunately,
the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for
decades and, therefore, illegal immigration has been on the rise. We have a
responsibility to address these challenges. We have a responsibility to
enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take
this responsibility seriously.

Earlier this year, I addressed the nation from the Oval Office. I laid out
our strategy for immigration reform. Part of that strategy begins with
securing the border. Since I took office we have more than doubled funding
for border security -- from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $10.4 billion this
year. We've increased the number of Border Patrol agents from about 9,000
to more than 12,000, and by the end of 2008, we will have doubled the
number of Border Patrol agents during my presidency.

We've deployed thousands of National Guard members to assist the Border
Patrol. We've upgraded technology at our borders. We've added
infrastructure, including new fencing and vehicle barriers. We're adding
thousands of new beds in our detention facilities so we can continue
working to end catch and release at our southern border. During the course
of my administration we have apprehended and sent home more 6 million
people entering our country illegally. And I thank the Border Patrol for
their hard work.

The Secure Fence Act builds on this progress. The bill authorizes the
construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern
border. The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints and lighting
to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. The bill
authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of
advanced technology, like cameras and satellites and unmanned aerial
vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border. We're modernizing
the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American
people we're doing our job of securing the border. By making wise use of
physical barriers and deploying 21st century technology we're helping our
Border Patrol agents do their job.

The Secure Fence Act is part of our efforts to reform our immigration
system. We have more to do. Meaningful immigration reforms means that we
must enforce our immigration laws in the United States. It is against the
law to hire someone who is here illegally. We fully understand that most
businesses want to obey that law, but they cannot verify the legal status
of their employees because of widespread document fraud. So we're creating
a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility, and in the
meantime, holding people to account for breaking the law.

We must reduce pressure on our border by creating a temporary worker plan.
Willing workers ought to be matched with willing employers to do jobs
Americans are not doing for a temporary -- on a temporary basis.

We must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are already
here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship; that is
amnesty. I oppose amnesty. There is a rational middle ground between
granting an automatic pass to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a
program of mass deportation. And I look forward to working with Congress to
find that middle ground.

The bill I'm about to sign is an important step in our nation's efforts to
secure our border and reform our immigration system. I thank the members of
Congress for joining me as I sign the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

(The bill is signed.)

END 9:40 A.M. EDT

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