For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 25, 2006

President Discusses Immigration Reform with Members of the Senate
Cabinet Room

	President's Remarks

      In Focus: Immigration
     

4:23 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the members of the United States Senate for joining on a very important discussion, and the discussion was how to get a comprehensive immigration bill out of the United States Senate.

I will report to the American people that there is a common desire to have a bill that enforces the border, a bill that has interior enforcement -- in other words, a bill that will hold people to account for hiring somebody who is here illegally -- but a bill that also recognizes we must have a temporary worker program, a bill that does not grant automatic amnesty to people, but a bill that says, somebody who is working here on a legal basis has the right to get in line to become a citizen.

I thank the members, both Republicans and Democrats, for taking on this really hard, hard assignment. It's important that we reform a system that is not working. It's important that we uphold the values of the United States of America. It's important that we treat people with dignity.

And I strongly believe that we have a chance to get an immigration bill that is comprehensive in nature to my desk before the end of this year.

And again, I want to thank both the Republicans and Democrats for the spirit of hard work. I particularly want to thank Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain for taking the lead on this important bill on the floor of the United States Senate. And I assured the members that I look forward to working with them as they try to get a bill out of the Senate by Memorial Day and into conference.

Thank you all.

END 4:25 P.M. EDT