The President Speaks...

I had a guest this afternoon, so I missed President Bush's speech on illegal immigration and border enforcement. Instapundit to the rescue. He has the text of the speech for those of us who failed our civic duty test and were otherwise engaged. A few things the President said encouraged me.

1) He called illegal immigrants illegal immigrants, and acknowledged that we have a problem with our borders. (Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.)

2) He said the government is increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, and implementing increased use of modern technology. He says he intends to have the National Guard shore up the Border Patrol until more agents and new technologies can be employed.

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.

My response to this part of the speech? It's about time.

3) He said they're working on ending the "catch and release" cycle. (An illegal immigrant is caught. For various reasons they can't be immediately sent back to their country of origin. There aren't enough facilities to hold them while the legalities gods are appeased . They are released on their own recognizance, and told to come back to court on a certain date. Shockingly, they don't report as ordered. They are now roofing your neighbor's house.) My response to "We're working on it"? Work faster and harder.

4) An identification card for workers who are here legally that uses current technology to advantage, for example digital fingerprints, is a step forward. It would help both employers and law enforcement make sure that employees are here legally, and leave employers with less excuse for putting their pocketbook above national security.

5) On the "what to do about the people who are already here" front, I find pros and cons in what he said, but can agree wholeheartedly with one point that he made in particular. We need to make learning English a requirement for citizenship.

...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.

6) He called on the Senate to address this issue quickly and not to make political gain their goal.

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 have very little hope that anyone in office will actually heed this part of the speech. Just as water doesn't flow uphill, Congress doesn't ignore its own political interests, but I still think it needs to be said, and said often.

If you want more, go read the rest of the speech. For what it's worth, here's my two cents. I still struggle with the idea of letting people who came here illegally pay a fine and stay in the country, while others who have obeyed our laws before even coming here wait in third world limbo. There's a part of me that remembers playground arguments where everybody's goal was finding what was fair, at least from their perspective, and giving cuts was always on the "that's no fair" list. There's also the question of what we are saying to potential citizens if we wink at the fact that their first act in American society was to break the law. I recognize the difficulty of deporting millions of people, many of whom have children who are citizens. The issue is enormously complicated, and that's why we have people protesting from every conceivable angle. It will take a great deal of compromise, in the best sense of the word, to bring this situation to its much needed resolution. Maybe the President's speech, and his position on the issue will prove somewhat helpful to that end. I think the speech was generally adequate, and would like to see much of what the President said enacted. I think most of it should have been already, quite frankly, but I'm firmly in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp. With so much political decision-making being driven by polls and protests, and with the polls and protests being so contradictory, I'm not sure whether we're going to end up with a security fence on our border, or a shuttle bus.