Posted on 10/26/2006 10:33:21 AM PDT by IntelliQuark
President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act The Roosevelt Room
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 of 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
Good reminder for those who forgot or didn't know about this little-advertised, little-understood, almost secret "deal" with Mexico and Canada. We sure didn't see any big photo op "signing" on that one, did we?
Is that the Free Trade Area of the Americas? The second portion of the tri lateral (the EU being the first portio and the Asia group to come later?)
"The fence is not even funded you fool."
Wrong! Please read the whole thread before you post.
$1.2 billion was ALREADY appropriated in the recent Homeland Security dept appropriations for this. See post #115.
I don't care what you actually think.....because your feelings overwhelm any thoughts you have, and it is frankly, unbecoming of a conservative.
I am a through and through, top to bottom conservative, which is why I don't rant and lose control as you are wont to do.
I also believe that the borders should have been sealed after 9/11, but I am rational about it. We haven't been hit since then, so I guess my rational approach made more sense than your histrionics.
Yes, well, the reality is that his heart isn't in this legislation and the American uproar, the Republican House, and some Republican stalwarts in the Senate brought us to this point despite his wishes. I don't give him credit for the legislation as he isn't responsible for it.
I DO give credit to the majority of Republicans in both chambers. They deserve re-election. Though I WILL hold Frist to his released statement today that he intends to make sure this is built.
What I will give the President credit for is signing the legislation. He could have VETO'd it. He is strongly against it. I'm not sure it was a case of putting the will of the American people first, or the election prospects of his party first, but it doesn't really matter in the end. He signed it.
I presume to know the depth of emotion was similiar to that I feel about voting for my pro-amensty Congressman this cycle. We're both doing something we'd rather not, for reasons we perceive to be of more need then our personal desires.
BTTT!
It is not fully funded and more than likely will never be built.
Did you hear Bush whining about his guest worker plan at the signing? We're supposed to give him credit? For what? What did Bush do except fight this bill tooth and nail every step of the way.
LOL!
Six years late , right before the election they throw we conservatives a bone.
Not to worry though, they will get your vote regardless.
It's those that drink kool-aid SOME of the time that they are worried about.
Not those that drink the kool-aid ALL the time.
No!
"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."
Bush said almost exactly the same thing at the signing, today. Lou Dobbs was all over it, tonight.
He just can't help himself. He doesn't know when to shut up.
LOL!
LOL!
I didn't realize you are the "decider" of credibility here. If there is no criticism of the policies of this administration, a rule needs to be put up stating that.
What is your emotional attachement to getting in immigration discussions knowing they will be critical to the WH, other than to insult conservatives and push them even further away from this party. The republicans are going to need every vote they can muster and you are not helping them. I wonder if you know that.
It's really sad that the actual subject can't be discussed without you and a few others hacking other posters to death. What happened to that no personal attack rule?
I'll give you this, you are consistent.
I almost puked this evening when Jeraldo lambasted the Pres. for signing this. He is so left and he has no shame in admitting it. It was another Dumbcrat political ad.
Yes, because my remarks have been so Kool-aid Red of late. LOL
Psst.....this conservative wasn't giving them my vote till the Fence legislation passed and Foley happened. This all took place a couple weeks ago. Which places me firmly right in the middle of the segment of voters they've been desperately trying to bring back, and by all appearances ARE coming back.
The difference between you and I, is that I don't really care why they do what they do. Just that in the end I get what I want. And I didn't want amnesty, and I did want a fence. The fact a politician panders at election time, news alert, it's not new. What is nice to see is that they are pandering to the right group of voters for a change instead of John McCain.
Nor will I allow a Dem House so that this fence won't have a chance of being built, and so that his amnesty will pass.
You make your own judgement call, but please top embarassing yourself by casting aspersions upon me that obviously indicate you are not a steady reader of anything I write. Blanket insults about anyone you happen to read are inevitably destined to bite you in the butt.
But, this is nothing new either. I've been called a 'bot and a hater. Guess I'm now a 'bot again by your definition. I only wish folks would make up their mind what I am if they must label me, rather then deal with the fact I'm a conservative that may or may not agree with you on an issue by issue basis.
Wahhh! Boo hoo! Double wahhh! Bush was forced to sign the bill! Wahhh!
Bush counts on the fact that many people don't realize we already have a "guestworker program", and that the "guestworkers" are the guests who never go home, and continue to take American jobs. The last thing America needs is more "guestworkers".
"What is nice to see is that they are pandering to the right group of voters for a change instead of John McCain"
I'm a little concerned about you. Pandering to conservatives mainly at election time is not the way to maintain a STRONG conservative base. It will keep you happy, but you and those that think like you are NOT who they are worried about.
The GOP is concerned about those that drink the kool-aid MOST of the time, NOT ALL THE TIME because they already have those votes.
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