My fellow Americans, tonight, I'd like to talk with you about immigration.
For more than 200 years,
our tradition of welcoming immigrants from around the world has given us
a tremendous advantage over other nations. It's kept us youthful,
dynamic, and entrepreneurial. It has shaped our character as a people
with limitless possibilities -- people not trapped by our past, but able
to remake ourselves as we choose.
But today, our immigration system is broken, and everybody knows it.
Families who enter our
country the right way and play by the rules watch others flout the
rules. Business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits
see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them far
less. All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living
in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.
And undocumented immigrants who desperately want to embrace those
responsibilities see little option but to remain in the shadows, or risk
their families being torn apart.
It's been this way for decades. And for decades, we haven't done much about it.
When I took office, I
committed to fixing this broken immigration system. And I began by doing
what I could to secure our borders. Today, we have more agents and
technology deployed to secure our southern border than at any time in
our history. And over the past six years, illegal border crossings have
been cut by more than half. Although this summer, there was a brief
spike in unaccompanied children being apprehended at our border, the
number of such children is now actually lower than it's been in nearly
two years. Overall, the number of people trying to cross our border
illegally is at its lowest level since the 1970s. Those are the facts.
Meanwhile, I worked with
Congress on a comprehensive fix, and last year, 68 Democrats,
Republicans, and Independents came together to pass a bipartisan bill in
the Senate. It wasn't perfect. It was a compromise, but it reflected
common sense. It would have doubled the number of border patrol agents,
while giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship if they
paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and went to the back of the
line. And independent experts said that it would help grow our economy
and shrink our deficits.
Had the House of
Representatives allowed that kind of a bill a simple yes-or-no vote, it
would have passed with support from both parties, and today it would be
the law. But for a year and a half now, Republican leaders in the House
have refused to allow that simple vote.
Now, I continue to
believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working together
to pass that kind of common sense law. But until that happens, there are
actions I have the legal authority to take as President -- the same
kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican Presidents before me
-- that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just.
Tonight, I am announcing those actions.
First, we'll build on
our progress at the border with additional resources for our law
enforcement personnel so that they can stem the flow of illegal
crossings, and speed the return of those who do cross over.
Second, I will make it
easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and
entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business
leaders have proposed.
Third, we'll take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country.
I want to say more about
this third issue, because it generates the most passion and
controversy. Even as we are a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation
of laws. Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws, and I believe
that they must be held accountable -- especially those who may be
dangerous. That's why, over the past six years, deportations of
criminals are up 80 percent. And that's why we're going to keep focusing
enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. Felons, not
families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mother who's
working hard to provide for her kids. We'll prioritize, just like law
enforcement does every day.
But even as we focus on
deporting criminals, the fact is, millions of immigrants -- in every
state, of every race and nationality -- will still live here illegally.
And let's be honest -- tracking down, rounding up, and deporting
millions of people isn't realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise isn't
being straight with you. It's also not who we are as Americans. After
all, most of these immigrants have been here a long time. They work
hard, often in tough, low-paying jobs. They support their families. They
worship at our churches. Many of their kids are American-born or spent
most of their lives here, and their hopes, dreams, and patriotism are
just like ours.
As my predecessor, President Bush, once put it: "They are a part of American life."
Now here's the thing: we
expect people who live in this country to play by the rules. We expect
that those who cut the line will not be unfairly rewarded. So we're
going to offer the following deal: If you've been in America for more
than five years; if you have children who are American citizens or legal
residents; if you register, pass a criminal background check, and
you're willing to pay your fair share of taxes -- you'll be able to
apply to stay in this country temporarily, without fear of deportation.
You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law.
That's what this deal
is. Now let's be clear about what it isn't. This deal does not apply to
anyone who has come to this country recently. It does not apply to
anyone who might come to America illegally in the future. It does not
grant citizenship, or the right to stay here permanently, or offer the
same benefits that citizens receive -- only Congress can do that. All
we're saying is we're not going to deport you.
I know some of the
critics of this action call it amnesty. Well, it's not. Amnesty is the
immigration system we have today -- millions of people who live here
without paying their taxes or playing by the rules, while politicians
use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time.
That's the real amnesty
-- leaving this broken system the way it is. Mass amnesty would be
unfair. Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our
character. What I'm describing is accountability -- a commonsense,
middle ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of
the shadows and get right with the law. If you're a criminal, you'll be
deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of
getting caught and sent back just went up.
The actions I'm taking
are not only lawful, they're the kinds of actions taken by every single
Republican President and every single Democratic President for the past
half century. And to those Members of Congress who question my authority
to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of
me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill. I
want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative
solution. And the day I sign that bill into law, the actions I take will
no longer be necessary. Meanwhile, don't let a disagreement over a
single issue be a dealbreaker on every issue. That's not how our
democracy works, and Congress certainly shouldn't shut down our
government again just because we disagree on this. Americans are tired
of gridlock. What our country needs from us right now is a common
purpose -- a higher purpose.
Most Americans support
the types of reforms I've talked about tonight. But I understand the
disagreements held by many of you at home. Millions of us, myself
included, go back generations in this country, with ancestors who put in
the painstaking work to become citizens. So we don't like the notion
that anyone might get a free pass to American citizenship. I know that
some worry immigration will change the very fabric of who we are, or
take our jobs, or stick it to middle-class families at a time when they
already feel like they've gotten the raw end of the deal for over a
decade. I hear these concerns. But that's not what these steps would do.
Our history and the facts show that immigrants are a net plus for our
economy and our society. And I believe it's important that all of us
have this debate without impugning each other's character.
Because for all the
back-and-forth of Washington, we have to remember that this debate is
about something bigger. It's about who we are as a country, and who we
want to be for future generations.
Are we a nation that
tolerates the hypocrisy of a system where workers who pick our fruit and
make our beds never have a chance to get right with the law? Or are we a
nation that gives them a chance to make amends, take responsibility,
and give their kids a better future?
Are we a nation that
accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents' arms? Or are
we a nation that values families, and works to keep them together?
Are we a nation that
educates the world's best and brightest in our universities, only to
send them home to create businesses in countries that compete against
us? Or are we a nation that encourages them to stay and create jobs,
businesses, and industries right here in America?
That's what this debate
is all about. We need more than politics as usual when it comes to
immigration; we need reasoned, thoughtful, compassionate debate that
focuses on our hopes, not our fears.
I know the politics of
this issue are tough. But let me tell you why I have come to feel so
strongly about it. Over the past few years, I have seen the
determination of immigrant fathers who worked two or three jobs, without
taking a dime from the government, and at risk at any moment of losing
it all, just to build a better life for their kids. I've seen the
heartbreak and anxiety of children whose mothers might be taken away
from them just because they didn't have the right papers. I've seen the
courage of students who, except for the circumstances of their birth,
are as American as Malia or Sasha; students who bravely come out as
undocumented in hopes they could make a difference in a country they
love. These people -- our neighbors, our classmates, our friends -- they
did not come here in search of a free ride or an easy life. They came
to work, and study, and serve in our military, and above all, contribute
to America's success.
Tomorrow, I'll travel to
Las Vegas and meet with some of these students, including a young woman
named Astrid Silva. Astrid was brought to America when she was four
years old. Her only possessions were a cross, her doll, and the frilly
dress she had on. When she started school, she didn't speak any English.
She caught up to the other kids by reading newspapers and watching PBS,
and became a good student. Her father worked in landscaping. Her mother
cleaned other people's homes. They wouldn't let Astrid apply to a
technology magnet school for fear the paperwork would out her as an
undocumented immigrant -- so she applied behind their back and got in.
Still, she mostly lived in the shadows -- until her grandmother, who
visited every year from Mexico, passed away, and she couldn't travel to
the funeral without risk of being found out and deported. It was around
that time she decided to begin advocating for herself and others like
her, and today, Astrid Silva is a college student working on her third
degree.
Are we a nation that
kicks out a striving, hopeful immigrant like Astrid -- or are we a
nation that finds a way to welcome her in?
Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger -- we were strangers once, too.
My fellow Americans, we
are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once,
too. And whether our forebears were strangers who crossed the Atlantic,
or the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only because this country
welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about
something more than what we look like, or what our last names are, or
how we worship. What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an
ideal -- that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance
to make of our lives what we will.
That's the country our
parents and grandparents and generations before them built for us.
That's the tradition we must uphold. That's the legacy we must leave for
those who are yet to come.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless this country we love.
--BHO
