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Skriven 2007-06-15 23:30:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070615) for Fri, 2007 Jun 15
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President Bush Attends National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 15, 2007

President Bush Attends National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast JW Marriott Hotel
Washington, D.C.

˙ /news/releases/2007/06/20070615.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Immigration

8:15 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Gracias. Siéntese, por favor. (Applause.) Buenos dĄas. Si. I
thank my friend, Luis. This isn't the first time he's introduced me. I'm
proud to be back. I thank you for the chance to come to the National
Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. Appreciate the opportunity to be with Hispanic
American pastors and priests and community leaders and faith-based
activists from all over the United States. I thank you for coming, and
thanks for having me come. I appreciate your leadership, I appreciate your
compassion, and I thank you for your abiding faith in the power of prayer.

I'm pleased that two Senators who have got corazones grandes -- (laughter)
-- on the immigration bill are with us today -- Senator Ted Kennedy and
Senator Mel Martinez. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

Y también, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano y Luis Fortuno. Thank you all for
coming, proud you're here. (Applause.) Thank the veterans and members of
the military who are here today. I thank the pastors and community leaders.

At this breakfast we set aside our politics and come together in prayer.
That's what we're doing. When we pray we acknowledge our total dependence
on Almighty God. We put our future in His hands, and we find that prayer
lifts our spirits and changes our lives.

This morning we have many things to pray for. We pray for our families and
our loved ones and our friends. We pray for the strength and safety of our
nation. We pray for wisdom and grace in times of trial. And we pray to give
thanks for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon America.

Among those blessings are millions of talented men and women of Hispanic
origin who call this country home. Our nation is more vibrant because of
the contributions made by Hispanic Americans in all sectors of our society
-- in arts, to business, to religion, to education. Our nation is more
hopeful because of the Hispanic Americans who serve in the armies of
compassion, who are surrounding neighbors in need who hurt with love;
people who are helping to change America one heart and one soul and one
conscience at a time.

Many of you at this breakfast devote your lives to serving others. By doing
so, you're answering a timeless call to love your neighbor as yourself. You
really represent the true strength of America, and I thank you for being of
service to our country.

This prayer breakfast has come a long way since it started five years ago.
We could have held it in a little tiny closet. And now, as Luis tells me,
it's oversubscribed the minute it gets announced. It's a good sign for our
country, isn't it? People want to come together in prayer.

Instead of a single morning meeting, you have now come to Washington for a
three-day conference. And I appreciate the chance -- you've had a chance to
go to Congress and discuss your concerns with members of Congress. I
appreciate your support for policies that expand home ownership. We want
more Americans saying, welcome to my home, come and see my piece of
property. I appreciate the fact that you're promoting small businesses. We
want more Americans realizing the dream of owning their own business. And
by the way, the Latino small business community is strong, and we intend to
keep it that way.

I appreciate your working to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS. I appreciate you
working hard to make sure every child gets a good education. Thank you for
your concern for our country. You're demonstrating El Sue o Americano es
para todos. (Applause.)

And I thank you for making comprehensive immigration reform your top
priority. I share that priority. These Senators share that priority. I
appreciate the fact that you understand that this debate can be emotional,
and it's complex. I appreciate the fact that you understand that members
need to hear from you about where you think this country ought to go when
it comes to immigration reform. There's a lot of emotion on this issue, and
it makes sense to have people from around the country come and sit down
with members of Congress to talk rationally about the issue.

Our responsibilities are straightforward -- we've got to enforce the
border, basic duty of a sovereign nation. We've got to create a lawful way
for foreign workers to fill jobs that Americans are not doing. Our economy
depends on them. And we must resolve the status of illegal immigrants
already in our country without amnesty and without animosity, because that
is the only practical way to fix the problem that has been decades in the
making. We must help new immigrants assimilate. That's what has always made
our nation strong. People in America must have confidence in this country
to help people assimilate.

Mel Martinez's parents put him on an airplane because they didn't want him
raised in a tyrannical society on the island of Cuba, and here he now sits
as a member of the United States Senate. I was deeply touched at the Coast
Guard Academy, when I was sitting there as the Commander-in-Chief of a
bunch of kids who just got bars on their shoulders, and the head of the
class got up to speak, and he talked about his migrant grandfather; this
Hispanic American started his speech to his classmates -- because I was
there, there was a lot of cameras, maybe the country -- talking about his
migrant grandfather. Isn't it a fabulous country where a migrant
grandfather can come and have a dream and work hard, and there's his
grandson talking about the promise of America in front of the President of
the United States and his classmates. That's the beauty of America.
(Applause.)

We must meet our moral obligation to treat newcomers with decency and show
compassion to the vulnerable and exploited, because we're called to answer
both the demands of justice and the call for mercy.

Most Americans agree on these principles. And now it's time for our elected
leaders in Congress to act. You don't have to worry about these two
Senators; they're acting, they're in the lead. Each day our nation fails to
act, the problem only grows worse. I will continue to work closely with
members of both parties, to get past our differences, and pass a bill I can
sign this year. (Applause.)

One of the reasons that America leads the world is that we've always
welcomed people who are determined to embrace our democracy and stand for
freedom. We see that determination every day in the hundreds of thousands
of Hispanic Americans who wear the uniform of the United States military.

Today we're joined by a group of Hispanic American soldiers from Walter
Reed Army Medical Center. I thank these brave men for stepping forward to
protect our freedom. I join all of you in praying for their full recovery.
And I'm honored to be their Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.)

Our nation is blessed to call these men fellow Americans. We thank God for
sending us such brave and selfless people. We ask that He give His -- give
us the wisdom and grace to be worthy of the sacrifices they make, and the
ideals of liberty they defend.

Thank you very much for letting me come by again. Y tambi n, que Dios les
bendiga. Amen. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 8:25 A.M. EDT

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