TRANSCRIPT: President Bush' speech today on immigration enforcement and reform

White House.gov ^ | 11/28/05

[Wolfstar]

The main body of the President's speech was interrupted by applause 18 times.

The harshest critics of President Bush's immigration policies are found among his constituents on the Right. However, honest critics should acknowledge what the President has done right while keeping the pressure on regarding issues such as the fight against amnesty. Although much more needs to be done, considerable progress has been realized since 2001, as indicated by the following highlights.

SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS:

Since 2001: Increased funding for border security by 60 percent. Increased funding for immigration enforcement in the interior of the country by 44 percent. Increased the number of immigration and customs investigators by 14 percent. Increased the number of border patrol agents on the Mexican border more than 30 percent.

Border agents have used that funding to apprehend and send home more than 4.5 million people coming into our country illegally, including more than 350,000 with criminal records.

More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch are from Mexico, and most of them are escorted back across the border within 24 hours. To prevent them from trying to cross again, a new program flies them back to Mexico, then buses them to their hometowns in the interior part of the country.

Will end the practice of catch and release, which has been the government's policy for decades.

Has streamlined deportation proceedings for non-Mexicans. They are now deported within an average of 32 days, almost three times faster than before.

Under current law, the federal government is required to release people caught crossing our border illegally if their home countries do not take them back in a set period of time. A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared that illegal immigrants have a right to re-litigate before an immigration court as many times as they want. GWB has called on Congress to change this law and to legislatively overturn the 9th Circuit’s decision.

$70 million have just been allocated to install and improve protective border infrastructure, including fencing, new border patrol access roads, vehicle barriers on roads that cross the border, etc.

This year, federal agents completed Operation Rollback, the largest work site enforcement case in American history. It resulted in the arrest of hundreds of illegal immigrants, criminal convictions against a dozen employers, and a multi-million dollar payment from one of America's largest corporations.

The Arizona Border Control Initiative was launched in 2004. In the first year, agents in Arizona apprehended nearly 500,000 illegal immigrants, a 42-percent increase over the previous year. We've captured a half-million pounds of marijuana, prosecuted more than 400 people suspected of human smuggling, and seized more than $7 million in cash.

In Arizona, we have prosecuted more than 2,300 smugglers bringing drugs, guns and illegal immigrants across the border. As a part of Operation Community Shield, federal agents have arrested nearly 1,400 gang members who were here illegally, including hundreds of members of the violent Latin American gangs like MS-13.

Since the Department of Homeland Security was created, agents have apprehended nearly 27,000 illegal immigrant fugitives.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Alia]

A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco declared that illegal immigrants have a right to re-litigate before an immigration court as many times as they want. This decision obviously would encourage illegal immigrants who have been deported to sneak back into the country and to re-argue their cases. Congress needs to put an end to this cycle of needless litigation and deliver reforms necessary to help us secure this border. (Applause.)

Listen, there's a lot of opinions on this proposal -- I understand that. But people in this debate must recognize that we will not be able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker program. The program that I proposed would not create an automatic path to citizenship, it wouldn't provide for amnesty -- I oppose amnesty. Rewarding those who have broken the law would encourage others to break the law and keep pressure on our border. (Applause.)

A temporary worker program, by contrast, would decrease pressure on the border. I support the number of -- increasing the number of annual green cards that can lead to citizenship. But for the sake of justice and for the sake of border security, I'm not going to sign an immigration bill that includes amnesty. (Applause.)

Very well laid out.

[Loud Mime]

The President's FIRST act should be to reinforce and multiply the fences similar to the areas of Tijuana and Nogales. The HSD has that authority...PUSH it!

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

and the English language. (Applause.)


My personal favorite.....GO BUSH!!!

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[afnamvet]

Listen, there's a lot of opinions on this proposal -- I understand that. But people in this debate must recognize that we will not be able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker program.

Enforcement first,

[moehoward]

As heard from south of the border:

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, I support the number of -- increasing the number of annual green cards that can lead to citizenship. (Applause.)

[ozarkgirl]

Are you all aware of this poll at MSNBC?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10243566/

[Paladin2]

"effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker program"

I'd argue that we can control the border without a temporary worker program (except possibly waiting until the fence is built to check every fence workers' citizenship).

[nopardons]

bttt

[Wolfstar]

I didn't know about the 9th Circuit's stupid ruling allowing illegals to essentially re-litigate their status endlessly. People who focus only on what this (or any) President can do about the problem should broaden their horizon to see what the Congress and the courts are doing.

[Wolfstar]

I'm also opposed to the guest worker program. However, I do acknowledge the good things GWB has done to improve border enforcement. Could he do more. Of course. So can the Congress. And the court system should get out of the way instead of doing with the 9th Circuit did in letting illegals re-litigate their cases endlessly.

[Paladin2]

"This practice of catch and release has been the government's policy for decades. It is an unwise policy and we're going to end it. (Applause.) "To help end catch and release, we need to increase the capacity in our detention facilities. Last month at the White House I signed legislation supported by the members of the Arizona delegation that will increase the number of beds in our detention facilities. We're also working to process illegal immigrants through the system more quickly, so we can return them home faster and free up bed space for others. One of the most effective tools we have in this effort is a process called expedited removal"

Here I'd suggest a controlled border to eliminate the need to build more detention beds and start to eliminate the "removal" process.

Boy, this is easy. I'd also suggest the Minute men not be labeled "Vigilantes".

[moehoward]

The whole thing is insane.

Let them appeal all they want, from MEXICO!

[dennisw]

"This program would create a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do"

Lame stupid just plain lame

[VU4G10]

Tancredo: Bush Speech Provides ‘Border’ Meat

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), hungry for immigration reform, listened intently Monday to President Bush’s speech about dealing with border issues. At the end, the Republican congressman was less hungry, but still unsatisfied.

"President Bush gave us some meat, which is good, but he slipped it between two very stale, old pieces of bread – guest worker and amnesty programs,” Tancredo said.

President Bush promised to protect the U.S.-Mexico border, and called for the use of high-tech gadgets – and even an improved border wall – to help battle the problem of illegals streaming into the U.S.

There are an estimated 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States, many of whom came to the United States via Mexico.

Tancredo said, however, that the president’s insistence on a guest worker program – even in the face of tougher border controls – isn’t enough.
"If you tell people who are here illegally that they are not subject to deportation, that is amnesty,” Tancredo said. "That’s the end of it.”

Tancredo hopes the Bush Administration will help craft a much tougher enforcement policy that will keep the majority of illegals out of the country.

"Can you stop every single human being from coming into the country illegally? No,” Tancredo told Fox News Channel. "Can you stop 95 percent of them? Yes – build a better fence, use unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, etc.

"There are a number of ways to prevent illegals from crossing our border," Tancredo said. "We just need to get tough.”
 

[rolling_stone]

The program that I proposed would not create an automatic path to citizenship, it wouldn't provide for amnesty -- I oppose amnesty. Rewarding those who have broken the law would encourage others to break the law and keep pressure on our border. (Applause.)

A temporary worker program, by contrast, would decrease pressure on the border. I support the number of -- increasing the number of annual green cards that can lead to citizenship. But for the sake of justice and for the sake of border security, I'm not going to sign an immigration bill that includes amnesty. (Applause.)

LOL sounds like Clinton depends on the meaning of the word is..and his father read my lips no new taxes...words..nothing more...

[moehoward]

"LOL sounds like Clinton depends on the meaning of the word is..and his father read my lips no new taxes...words..nothing more..."

Absolutely.

What concerns me the most is, exactly what jobs will be available to these "guest workers"?? Something tells me we ain't talking about just farm work here.