Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas We have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible. They wanted more agents on the border. Well we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. They wanted a fence. Well that fence is now basically complete.
And weve gone further. Ive deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the skies from Texas to California. Weve forged a partnership with Mexico to fight the transnational criminal organizations that have affected both of our countries said the President earlier today while visitng El Paso Texas. (Read President Obamas entire un-edited speech in El Paso here.)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
May 10 2011
Remarks of President Barack Obama As Prepared for Delivery
Immigration and Border Security
Tuesday May 10 2011
El Paso Texas
As Prepared for Delivery
Hello El Paso! Its great to be back here with all of you and to be back in the Lone Star State. I love coming to Texas. Even the welcomes are bigger down here. So to show my appreciation I wanted to give a big policy speech… outdoors… right in the middle of a hot sunny day. I hope everyone is wearing sunscreen. Now about a week ago I delivered the commencement address at Miami Dade Community College one of the most diverse schools in the nation. The graduates were proud that their class could claim heritage from 181 countries around the world. Many of the students were immigrants themselves coming to America with little more than the dreams of their parents and the clothes on their backs. A handful had discovered only in adolescence or adulthood that they were undocumented. But they worked hard and gave it their all and they earned those diplomas. At the ceremony 181 flags one for every nation represented was marched across the stage. Each was applauded by the graduates and relatives with ties to those countries. But then the last flag the American flag came into view. And the room erupted. Every person in the auditorium cheered. Yes their parents or grandparents or the graduates themselves had come from every corner of the globe. But it was here that they had found opportunity and had a chance to contribute to the nation that is their home. It was a reminder of a simple idea as old as America itself. E pluribus unum. Out of many one. We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace Americas precepts. Thats why millions of people ancestors to most of us braved hardship and great risk to come here so they could be free to work and worship and live their lives in peace. The Asian immigrants who made their way to Californias Angel Island. The Germans and Scandinavians who settled across the Midwest. The waves of the Irish Italian Polish Russian and Jewish immigrants who leaned against the railing to catch that first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. This flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous. We can point to the genius of Einstein and the designs of I. M. Pei the stories of Isaac Asimov and whole industries forged by Andrew Carnegie. And I think of the naturalization ceremonies weve held at the White House for members of the military which have been so inspiring. Even though they were not yet citizens these men and women had signed up to serve. One was a young man named Granger Michael from Papua New Guinea a Marine who deployed to Iraq three times. Heres what he said about becoming an American citizen. I might as well. I love this country already." Marines arent big on speeches. Another was a woman named Perla Ramos. She was born and raised in Mexico came to the United States shortly after 9/11 and joined the Navy. She said I take pride in our flag … and the history we write day by day." Thats the promise of this country that anyone can write the next chapter of our story. It doesnt matter where you come from; what matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded; that you believe all of us are equal and deserve the freedom to pursue happiness. In embracing America you can become American. And that enriches all of us. Yet at the same time we are standing at the border today because we also recognize that being a nation of laws goes hand in hand with being a nation of immigrants. This too is our heritage. This too is important. And the truth is weve often wrestled with the politics of who is and who isnt allowed to enter this country. At times there has been fear and resentment directed toward newcomers particularly in periods of economic hardship. And because these issues touch on deeply held convictions about who we are as a people about what it means to be an American these debates often elicit strong emotions. Thats one reason its been so difficult to reform our broken immigration system. When an issue is this complex and raises such strong feelings its easier for politicians to defer the problem until after the next election. And theres always a next election. So weve seen a lot blame and politics and ugly rhetoric. Weve seen good faith efforts from leaders of both parties fall prey to the usual Washington games. And all the while weve seen the mounting consequences of decades of inaction. Today there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Some crossed the border illegally. Others avoid immigration laws by overstaying their visas. Regardless of how they came the overwhelming majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families. But theyve broken the rules and have cut in front of the line. And the truth is the presence of so many illegal immigrants makes a mockery of all those who are trying to immigrate legally. Also because undocumented immigrants live in the shadows theyre vulnerable to unscrupulous businesses that skirt taxes pay workers less than the minimum wage or cut corners with health and safety. This puts companies who follow those rules and Americans who rightly demand the minimum wage or overtime or just a safe place to work at an unfair disadvantage. Think about it. Over the past decade even before the recession middle class families were struggling to get by as costs went up but incomes didnt. Were seeing this again with gas prices. Well one way to strengthen the middle class is to reform our immigration system so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everyone else. I want incomes for middle class families to rise again. I want prosperity in this country to be widely shared. Thats why immigration reform is an economic imperative. And reform will also help make America more competitive in the global economy. Today we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. But our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or power a new industry right here in the United States. So instead of training entrepreneurs to create jobs in America we train them to create jobs for our competition. That makes no sense. In a global marketplace we need all the talent we can get not just to benefit those individuals but because their contributions will benefit all Americans. Look at Intel and Google and Yahoo and eBay these are great American companies that have created countless jobs and helped us lead the world in high-tech industries. Every one was founded by an immigrant. We dont want the next Intel or Google to be created in China or India. We want those companies and jobs to take root in America. Bill Gates gets this. The United States will find it far more difficult to maintain its competitive edge" hes said if it excludes those who are able and willing to help us compete." Its for this reason that businesses all across America are demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibility to solve the immigration problem. Everyone recognizes the system is broken. The question is will we summon the political will to do something about it? And thats why were here at the border today. In recent years among the greatest impediments to reform were questions about border security. These were legitimate concerns; its true that a lack of manpower and resources at the border combined with the pull of jobs and ill-considered enforcement once folks were in the country contributed to a growing number of undocumented people living in the United States. And these concerns helped unravel a bipartisan coalition we forged back when I was a United States Senator. In the years since borders first" has been a common refrain even among those who previously supported comprehensive immigration reform. Well over the past two years we have answered those concerns. Under Secretary Napolitanos leadership we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible. They wanted more agents on the border. Well we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20000 agents more than twice as many as there were in 2004 a build up that began under President Bush and that we have continued. They wanted a fence. Well that fence is now basically complete. And weve gone further. We tripled the number of intelligence analysts working the border. Ive deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the skies from Texas to California. Weve forged a partnership with Mexico to fight the transnational criminal organizations that have affected both of our countries. And for the first time we are screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments to seize guns and money going south even as we go after drugs coming north. So we have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. But even though weve answered these concerns I suspect there will be those who will try to move the goal posts one more time. Theyll say we need to triple the border patrol. Or quadruple the border patrol. Theyll say we need a higher fence to support reform. Maybe theyll say we need a moat. Or alligators in the moat. Theyll never be satisfied. And I understand that. Thats politics. But the truth is the measures weve put in place are getting results. Over the past two and a half years weve seized 31 percent more drugs 75 percent more currency and 64 percent more weapons than before. Even as weve stepped up patrols apprehensions along the border have been cut by nearly 40 percent from two years ago that means far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally. Also despite a lot of breathless reports that have tagged places like El Paso as dangerous violent crime in southwest border counties has dropped by a third. El Paso and other cities and towns along the border are consistently rated among the safest in the nation. Of course we shouldnt accept any violence or crime and we have more work to do. But this progress is important. Beyond the border were also going after employers who knowingly exploit people and break the law. And we are deporting those who are here illegally. Now I know that the increase in deportations has been a source of controversy. But I want to emphasize: we are not doing this haphazardly; we are focusing our limited resources on violent offenders and people convicted of crimes; not families not folks who are just looking to scrape together an income. As a result we increased the removal of criminals by 70 percent. That is not to ignore the real human toll. Even as we recognize that enforcing the law is necessary we dont relish the pain it causes in the lives of people just trying to get by. And as long as the current laws are on the books its not just hardened felons who are subject to removal; but also families just trying to earn a living bright and eager students; decent people with the best of intentions. I know some here wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But thats not how a democracy works. What we really need to do is keep up the fight to pass reform. Thats the ultimate solution to this problem. And Id point out the most significant step we can take now to secure the borders is to fix the system as a whole so that fewer people have incentive to enter illegally in search of work in the first place. This would allow agents to focus on the worst threats on both of our borders from drug traffickers to those who would come here to commit acts of violence or terror. So the question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work weve started. We have to put the politics aside. And if we do Im confident we can find common ground. Washington is behind the country on this. Already there is a growing coalition of leaders across America who dont always see eye-to-eye but who are coming together on this issue. They see the harmful consequences of this broken system for their businesses and communities. They understand why we need to act. There are Democrats and Republicans including:- Former-Republican Senator Mel Martinez and
- Former-Bush administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
- Leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg
- Evangelical ministers like Leith Anderson & Bill Hybels
- Police chiefs from across the nation
- Educators & advocates
- Labor unions and
- Chambers of commerce
- Cmall business owners and
- Fortune 500 CEOs.
