Liberty Bell

President Bush Talks Immigration at Naturalization Ceremony

President Bush:

Newcomers have a special way of appreciating the opportunities of America. And when they seize those opportunities, our whole nation benefits.

In the 1790s, an immigrant from Ireland designed the White House, right where Laura and I live, and he helped build the Capitol.

In the 1990s, an immigrant from Russia helped create the Internet search engine Google.

In between, new citizens have made contributions in virtually every professional field and millions of newcomers have strengthened their communities through quiet lives of hard work and family and faith.

America’s welcoming society is more than cultural tradition; it is a fundamental promise of our democracy.

Our Constitution does not limit citizenship by background or birth. Instead, our nation is bound together by shared love of liberty and a conviction that all people are created with dignity and value.

Through the generations, Americans have upheld that vision by welcoming new citizens from across the globe, and that has made us stand apart.

One of my predecessors, President Ronald Reagan, used to say this: “You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Japan, but you cannot become Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in America and be an American.”

Then later on…

America is a nation of immigrants, and we’re also a nation of laws. All of you are here because you followed the rules and you waited your turn in the citizenship line.

Yet some violate our immigration laws and enter our country illegally. And that undermines the system for all of us.

America should not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society. We can be both at the same time.

And so, to keep the promise of America, we must enforce the laws of America. We must also reform those laws.

No one is served by an immigration system that allows large numbers of people to sneak across the border illegally. Nobody benefits when the illegal immigrants live in the shadows of society. Everyone suffers when people seeking to provide for their families are left at the mercy of criminals or stuffed in the back of 18-wheelers or abandoned in the desert to die.

America needs comprehensive immigration reform. I’ve laid out a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that includes three critical elements: securing the border, strengthening immigration enforcement inside our country, and creating a temporary worker program.

The rest of the speech contains his three guidelines and explains them. It’s worth reading.