Bush: U.S. immigration laws ‘outdated,’ ‘ineffective’ and must be rewritten

In January 2009, President of the United States of America, George W. Bush invited then President-Elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter for a Meeting and Lunch at The White House. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

March 18 (UPI) — Former president George W. Bush used a naturalization ceremony Monday at his library in Dallas as an opportunity to call for bipartisan immigration reform.

The 43rd president, who said his own efforts at reform died more than a decade ago, told nearly 50 new U.S. citizens Monday new immigration policy is needed in the United States more than ever.

Bush’s failed 2007 effort aimed to tie stronger border security with a path to citizenship for 12 million migrants. Monday, he suggested current U.S. immigration law is obsolete.

“Borders are not arbitrary and they need to be respected along with the fine men and women of the immigration services and border patrol,” Bush said at the ceremony. “Immigration statutes, likewise, reflect the will of the people and the Congress and must be enforced.

“When the laws are outdated and ineffective, they must be rewritten. I hope those in Washington can dial down the rhetoric, put politics aside and modernize our immigration laws soon.”

Bush said emotions can cloud the highly complex issue and praised migrants for adding “critical contributions” to “our prosperity and our way of life.”

Bush joked that the 47 new citizens at Monday’s ceremony aren’t just Americans — they’re Texans.

“If you walk out of here with a little extra attitude in your step, it shows the culture has taken hold,” he joked.

Former first lady Laura Bush said the Lone Star State holds a special place for migrants.

“Texas has been a land of immigrants,” she said. “Our state is a place where people come year after year to build a better life. We’re a state that thrives due to the prosperity, ingenuity, transformation and generosity of immigrants.”

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