Full Text, Bush Speech.

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, here's the full text of Bush's speech. Click "read more" to see it.

Good evening. I have asked for a few minutes of your time to discuss a matter of national importance – the reform of America’s immigration system.

The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions – and in recent weeks, Americans have seen those emotions on display. On the streets of major cities, crowds have rallied in support of those in our country illegally. At our southern border, others have organized to stop illegal immigrants from coming in. Across the country, Americans are trying to reconcile these contrasting images. And in Washington, the debate over immigration reform has reached a time of decision. Tonight, I will make it clear where I stand, and where I want to lead our country on this vital issue.

We must begin by recognizing the problems with our immigration system. For decades, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders. As a result, many who want to work in our economy have been able to sneak across our border – and millions have stayed.

Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society. Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it difficult for employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal. Illegal immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals ... strains state and local budgets ... and brings crime to our communities. These are real problems, yet we must remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives. They are a part of American life – but they are beyond the reach and protection of American law.

We are a Nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws. We are also a Nation of immigrants, and we must uphold that tradition, which has strengthened our country in so many ways. These are not contradictory goals – America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time. We will fix the problems created by illegal immigration, and we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and fair. So I support comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish five clear objectives.

First, the United States must secure its borders. This is a basic responsibility of a sovereign Nation. It is also an urgent requirement of our national security. Our objective is straightforward: The border should be open to trade and lawful immigration – and shut to illegal immigrants, as well as criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.

I was the governor of a state that has a twelve-hundred mile border with Mexico. So I know how difficult it is to enforce the border, and how important it is. Since I became President, we have increased funding for border security by 66 percent, and expanded the Border Patrol from about 9,000 to 12,000 agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing a fine job in difficult circumstances – and over the past five years, we have apprehended and sent home about six million people entering America illegally.

Despite this progress, we do not yet have full control of the border, and I am determined to change that. Tonight I am calling on Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. By the end of 2008, we will increase the number of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we will have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during my Presidency.

At the same time, we are launching the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history. We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors, and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. We will employ motion sensors … infrared cameras … and unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the best technology in the world – and we will ensure that the Border Patrol has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border.

Training thousands of new Border Patrol agents and bringing the most advanced technology to the border will take time. Yet the need to secure our border is urgent. So I am announcing several immediate steps to strengthen border enforcement during this period of transition:

One way to help during this transition is to use the National Guard. So in coordination with governors, up to 6,000 Guard members will be deployed to our southern border. The Border Patrol will remain in the lead. The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance systems … analyzing intelligence … installing fences and vehicle barriers … building patrol roads … and providing training. Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities – that duty will be done by the Border Patrol. This initial commitment of Guard members would last for a period of one year. After that, the number of Guard forces will be reduced as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies come online. It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, respond to natural disasters, and help secure our border.

The United States is not going to militarize the southern border. Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border ... to confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime ... and to reduce illegal immigration.

Another way to help during this period of transition is through state and local law enforcement in our border communities. So we will increase federal funding for state and local authorities assisting the Border Patrol on targeted enforcement missions. And we will give state and local authorities the specialized training they need to help federal officers apprehend and detain illegal immigrants. State and local law enforcement officials are an important resource – and they are part of our strategy to secure our border communities.

The steps I have outlined will improve our ability to catch people entering our country illegally. At the same time, we must ensure that every illegal immigrant we catch crossing our southern border is returned home. More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch crossing the southern border are Mexicans, and most are sent back home within 24 hours. But when we catch illegal immigrants from other countries, it is not as easy to send them home. For many years, the government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold them while the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into our society and asked to return for a court date. When the date arrived, the vast majority did not show up. This practice, called “catch and release,” is unacceptable – and we will end it.

We are taking several important steps to meet this goal. We have expanded the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will continue to add more. We have expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation time. And we are making it clear to foreign governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our immigration laws. As a result of these actions, we have ended “catch and release” for illegal immigrants from some countries. And I will ask Congress for additional funding and legal authority, so we can end “catch and release” at the southern border once and for all. When people know that they will be caught and sent home if they enter our country illegally, they will be less likely to try to sneak in.

Second, to secure our border, we must create a temporary worker program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across.

Therefore, I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. This program 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 criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay.

A temporary worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law. A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers – and make it less likely that people would risk their lives to cross the border. It would ease the financial burden on state and local governments, by replacing illegal workers with lawful taxpayers. And above all, a temporary worker program would add to our security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.

Third, we need to hold employers to account for the workers they hire. It is against the law to hire someone who is in this country illegally. Yet businesses often cannot verify the legal status of their employees, because of the widespread problem of document fraud. Therefore, comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part of that system should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law – and leave employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.

Fourth, we must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are already here. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully – and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration.

Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every illegal immigrant – and that any proposal short of this amounts to amnesty. I disagree. It is neither wise nor realistic to round up millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes that there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently – and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record. I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and 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 able to apply for citizenship – but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I have just described is not amnesty – it is a way for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society, and demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen.

Fifth, we must honor the great American tradition of the melting pot, which has made us one Nation out of many peoples. The success of our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society, and 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. English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of America. English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery … from cleaning offices to running offices … from a life of low-paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own. When immigrants assimilate and advance in our society, they realize their dreams ... they renew our spirit ... and they add to the unity of America.

Tonight, I want to speak directly to Members of the House and the Senate: An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive, because all elements of this problem must be addressed together – or none of them will be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill. The Senate should act by the end of this month – so we can work out the differences between the two bills, and Congress can pass a comprehensive bill for me to sign into law.

America needs to conduct this debate on immigration in a reasoned and respectful tone. Feelings run deep on this issue – and as we work it out, all of us need to keep some things in mind. We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone’s fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. We must always remember that real lives will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human being has dignity and value no matter what their citizenship papers say.

I know many of you listening tonight have a parent or a grandparent who came here from another country with dreams of a better life. You know what freedom meant to them, and you know that America is a more hopeful country because of their hard work and sacrifice. As President, I have had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds, and hear what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Laura and I met a wounded Marine named Guadalupe Denogean. Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean came to the United States from Mexico when he was a boy. He spent his summers picking crops with his family, and then he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able. During the liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean was seriously injured. When asked if he had any requests, he made two – a promotion for the corporal who helped rescue him … and the chance to become an American citizen. And when this brave Marine raised his right hand, and swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had defended for more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.

We will always be proud to welcome people like Guadalupe Denogean as fellow Americans. Our new immigrants are just what they have always been – people willing to risk everything for the dream of freedom. And America remains what she has always been – the great hope on the horizon … an open door to the future … a blessed and promised land. We honor the heritage of all who come here, no matter where they are from, because we trust in our country’s genius for making us all Americans – one Nation under God. Thank you, and good night.

If they allow the illegals citizenship--the illegal/legals will do what they did after 1986: vote democratic and tip the country to a democratic majority as they have done in california

This is the crux of the issue. Democrats are losing with the existing voters so they want to import people who will cast the votes Americans won't. Republicans and business interests who want guest workers are only thinking short term.

The administration and Senate plans are centered on continuing the large flows of third world workers into our country. Legalized illegals, new additional "temporary" workers, whatever. It all serves the same end.

Bottom line: the number of unassimilated third world migrants in this country is going to go up. Probably way up.

What he described is ALREADY within the US immigration law.

Those illegals who have been in the USA for 10 (ten) years may apply for a hardship visa and then if that is granted they can apply for citizenship after 5 (five) years.

If he had simply pointed to the existing law it would have neutralized many criticisms.

Kennedy wants to return to the pre 1996 law which had only six years and anchor babies as a automatic stay.

You are right this is AMNESTY but it is the same rolling amnesty that has existed since the 70's. (probably longer but I lawyering does not go back further. I do know of some stories of merchant marines who jumped ship in the 50's and 60's and did evenutally aquire citizenship)

People shall produce fake leases and documents to establish a "record" of five years. Lets also not forget Mexican records (or clean criminal records easily can be bought via their corrupt police)

In its present state, I don't see a viable compromise between house and senate.

I think you are UNDER estimating third world migrants.

The whole reform is 100% doomed if there is no iron clad effort to stop illegals.

The legalization with the doubling of family derivative visas is just plain STUPID.

Nobody is talking about extended families.

I am certain some single person in the usa for five years will find out they have really had a wife, brother and kids.

Both are thinking as elites.

Bothe want to stay in power and want to feed their percieved power needs.

As long as the senate country club stays in business McCain, Kerry, Snow, Reid, et al don't give a feces about the incidentals or the country.

This is "we know better than you" politics.

I thought I read that the Senate and President's amnesty plans reward illegals with amnesty for less than the current 10 years of law-breaking. Do you what it is? 4 years? Six? Two?

What did you people want from him? Did you want him to announce that we are going to nuke Mexico?

Speaking for myself, I would like to have seen the President abandon his amnesty plan. Instead it was reiterated.

As for nuking countries, is that the latest false choice - "Amnesty or nukes"?

What happened to the talking point false choice: "Amnesty or Round up and Deport 11 million men, women, and children"?

This is the crux of the issue. Democrats are losing with the existing voters so they want to import people who will cast the votes Americans won't. Republicans and business interests who want guest workers are only thinking short term.

The Oligarchy requires two opposing sides to continue their containment of the US voting public. Therefore, the Democratic Party cannot be allowed to fade away.

The irony of this whole situation is that for the first time, those amongst us who consider ourselves to be Americans first and Politicians second, now have a clear cut majority (perhaps even plurality) issue that can be effectively utilized to expose the players manipulating our current Political Oligarchy.

Welcome to the Land of Oz. Perhaps it is now time to take a look behind that curtain.

Of all the consequences regarding the influx of Mexicans over the last several decades, I think the proliferation of Spanish is the biggest detriment. It bothers me that when I use the ATM machine it asks “English or Spanish"

You're right, he mentioned the topic twice. Once would have been enough if there were some meat in it that required the teaching and use of English.

He said English was key and that they should learn it, but he was silent on how that was to be accomplished.

Actually, I don't put much stock in their claims that this land is their own. I'm sure that's how the Mexican War is taught on their side of the border, so it's no big deal with me. (It's taught that way by many on OUR side of the border.)

Nonetheless, they are still aliens....legal or illegal is not specified in the bible. Be sure to entertain LEGAL strangers because some have entertained angels unaware of it.

That Abraham's descendants were destined to take over the land really has nothing to do with the treatment of aliens. After entry into the promised land, Israel was to exercise extreme hospitality with aliens. NO ONE suggests that God's reason is due to His plans to dispossess Israel of their land. (Who knows...maybe the preterists teach that???)

Actually, the distinction we make between legal and illegal was not in the sections you cited in the post.

Therefore, it is only by interpretation that someone can arrive at such a conclusion that our legal/illegal immigrant distinctions are present in ancient middle eastern cultures.

Nonetheless, I did demonstrate that Abe & Lot were UNWELCOME aliens, but that God did bless those who were fair with them and did not bless (sometimes punished) those who were unfair with them.

We are all called to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. I've always emphasized grace over law and mercy over sacrifice. I'll continue to do so. It's a free country and others are able to emphasize as they wish.

Nonetheless, there is no distinction like our legal/illegal immigrant evidenced in the bible. Abraham was certainly not what we'd call "legal." He just picked up and went to a far country. (That would be similar to early immigration to our own country.)

But, it's good to know that we should only be hospitable to LEGAL strangers, because only LEGALS might be "angels unaware."

Again, there is no evidence that there was anything paralleling our "legal/illegal alien" distinction, nor the means of enforcing it. That means application in this area is conjecture and opinion.

However, there is more that informs us to be a compassionate people than suggests that we should be a hard, legalistic people.

The speech laid out an amnesty plan which is not a solution but a blueprint for even worse immigration problems in the future. 6000 National Guard soldiers on the border in a non-militarized role is a joke.

The idea that 12 million or whatever the real number of illegal immigrants, I suspect a higher number, can not be deported is ludicrous. It can be done and should be done. Painting a picture of the need to deport 12 million in a day is what makes the problem look impossible. Deport them by the thousands per day coupled with total employment prevention in the USA by prohibitive fines and jail for repeated offenders and you will see reverse immigration occurring in a relatively short period of time.

Bush's proposed solution isn't anything close to a solution. What it is an attempt to get a bounce in the polls which the MSM will help him achieve, within limits of 5% or less, because the Bush solution is exactly what the liberal MSM have been advocating, AMNESTY.

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