President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform
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.
How ’bout if we begin by recognizing the actual problem, the welfare/warfare state we live in? After that, yes, the porous borders would be a security problem if we are worried about terrorists.
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, it 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.
Shadows my ass, collecting welfare, putting their kids in public schools, getting disability, and not paying for any of it? If that’s in the shadows, we need to point a big spotlight on it. That may be a good thing that comes from the recent illegal alien demonstrations. The second issue here is that they are not parti of American life, they choose not to integrate into our society, and pour money out of the country. This may be a symptom of the larger problem, but I’m not so sure. We need to have immigrants willing to assimilate into American culture, as they have been doing for the past 200 years.
Despite this progress, we do not yet have full control of the border, and I am determined to change that. Tonight I’m calling on Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. By the end of 2008, we’ll increase the number of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we’ll have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during my presidency.
How is this really going to help? with 18000 people, you could put someone maybe every half mile, that may be stretching it. How are they going to be able to catch anyone? Physically keeping people out is not the answer, we need to make it so that when we do catch someone here illegally, they get sent back, as quickly as we can do it, and they (or anybody else for that matter) don’t have access to the current welfare state.
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.
Absolutely they will, we are the land of opportunity. I don’t have a problem with this, having more people here helps our economy if they actually live and stay here, and a rising tide raises all ships. We also have to make it easier for people to get into the country legally. I dare say most wouldn’t be doing this illegally if they could just as easily, or even with a bit more difficulty, come here legally. The only people we really need to keep out would be someone intent on terrorism.
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.
No we don’t, employers aren’t law enforment officers, and shouln’t be expected to act as them. If an employer wants to run background checks because they want to, that’s fine, but they shouldn’t be required to do so by the government. To boot, there is no such thing as “tamper-proof”. You can make it difficult, but where there is a market it will be done.
Fourth, we must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are here already. 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.
I absolutely agree with that, but the laws to get here need to be changed as well.
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.
I think this is probably the most important thing he said during his speech. If people aren’t willing to assimilate, you get what is happening in Iraq currently with the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. People who don’t want to be American, not Mexican-American, not African-American, or any other whatever-American, but just American, shouldn’t come here.