Glynco, Ga. – Firing back at conservative critics, President Bush defended his support for overhauling immigration laws Tuesday and accused opponents of “trying to rile up people’s emotions” with misinformation.
In an interview, Bush expressed determination to fight for changes allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status. He cast the debate as a struggle over America’s soul and reputation as a welcoming nation.
“I’m deeply concerned about America losing its soul. Immigration has been the lifeblood of a lot of our country’s history,” the president said aboard Air Force One. “I am worried that a backlash to newcomers would cause our country to lose its great capacity to assimilate newcomers.”
Bush underscored his commitment to the proposed overhaul – despite harsh criticism from some conservatives – as he traveled to Georgia for a speech.
“I’m sure you’ve heard some of the talk out there about people defining the bill. It’s clear they hadn’t read the bill. They’re speculating about what the bill says, and they’re trying to rile up people’s emotions,” he told an audience at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, near Brunswick. “If you want to kill the bill, if you don’t want to do what’s right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it, you can use it to frighten people. Or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all.”
Bush acknowledged that the proposed overhaul faces a difficult time in Congress, where it’s under attack from both ends of the political spectrum.
He traced his commitment to immigration to his time in Texas, where he was governor.
“When you grow up in Texas like I did, you recognize the decency and humanity of Hispanics. And the truth of the matter is, a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country,” he said.
