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Bush Urges Calm, Respectful Discussion of Immigration Reform

President Bush encourages immigration reform, April 24, 2006. (©AP/WWP)

By Jane A. Morse
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Acknowledging that immigration is "an emotional subject," President Bush nonetheless called for a calm, rational, respectful national discussion regarding illegal immigration and immigration reform.

During an April 25 press conference in Orange County, California, the president emphasized the importance of discussing immigration issues "in a respectful way that recognizes we are a nation of immigrants, that we have had a grand tradition in this country of welcoming people into our society, and ours is a society that is able to take the newly arrived, and they become equally American."

Immigration, Bush said, "has helped reinvigorate the soul of America."  But he also emphasized that "to make sure immigration laws work, you got to enforce the laws on the books," adding that "you can be a nation of law and a compassionate nation at the same time."

The president called for an increase in personnel both for border controls and for internal enforcement of immigration laws. Bush also reiterated his support for a temporary worker program that will identify and legalize immigrant workers.

Immigration reform would undercut the human smuggling industry with a "rational policy" that would treat people with respect, Bush said.  "[O]ne thing we cannot lose sight of is that we're talking about human beings, decent human beings that need to be treated with respect."

"Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic. It's just not going to work," Bush said.  People should be allowed to work in the United States "on a temporary basis" as defined by Congress.

At the same time, Bush emphasized, "a person should never be granted automatic citizenship."  Those who break the law by entering the United States illegally should pay a penalty and go to the "back of the line" to enter the United States legally, he said.

The president also called on immigrants to learn English, "which is part of the American system."

Bush summed up the current debate on immigration as one that "requires clear, rational thought."

It is important, especially for America’s leadership, "to remember that we're a nation of law, a welcoming nation, a nation that honors people's traditions no matter where they're from, because we got confidence in the capacity of our nation to make us all Americans, one nation, under God," he said.

For more information on U.S. policies, see Visas, Passports, and Immigration.

WAR ON TERROR

Bush also spoke at length on the ongoing War on Terror.

He said the first lesson of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States is that "we face an enemy that has no regard for innocent life, an enemy which has hijacked a great religion to suit their political needs."

The only way to deal with these terrorists, he said, "is to stay on the offense, to pressure them and to bring them to justice."

He also emphasized the importance of denying terrorists safe haven.  "We denied them safe haven in Afghanistan, and we're denying them safe haven in Iraq," Bush said.

The president said he takes the words of the enemy very seriously. "[W]hen the enemy speaks -- and they speak quite often -- we listen carefully. We listen to their aims and their objectives."

"These are not a kind of isolated angry people. These are folks bound together by an ideology that is totalitarian in nature. They believe that capitalism produces weak societies. They want to spread their idea of life throughout the Middle East. ... And they believe that with time, they can establish a safe haven in Iraq."

The “confluence” of a terrorist network and Iraq, with its wealth and knowledge in producing weapons of mass destruction, "is the biggest threat the United States of America faces."

But the most powerful weapon of the enemy, he said, "is the willingness and capacity to kill innocent people."  Terrorists view American compassion as a weakness, he said.

"I happen to view it as a strength that we value every life, that every person is precious," Bush said.

Terrorists are trying to force the United States out of Iraq in order to secure a safe haven from which to launch further attacks, he said.  But the United States has "a strategy in place to achieve victory," he said.

"I believe liberty is universal. I believe people want to be free. And I know that democracies do not war with each other. And I know that the best way to defeat the enemy -- the best way to defeat their ability to exploit hopelessness and despair is to give people a chance to live in a free society," the president said.

Bush said the Iraqi people have freely voted three times in just one year. With a new unity government formed in Iraq, "there's a new chapter in the relationship, and we're moving forward," he said. (See related article.)

"You know, it's really important for people to be able to connect the concept of freedom to our security," the president said.

"Democracy can help change the world and lay the foundation for peace. And that's what's happening today. These are historic times."

For more information on U.S. policies, see Response to Terrorism and Iraq Update.

A transcript of Bush's remarks and a fact sheet on immigration reform are available on the White House Web site.