The Texan has for years emphasized the immigrant community in his homeland and has often praised America’s immigrant history while campaigning for immigration policy. During his second term as president, Bush introduced an immigration bill aimed at creating a path to citizenship for some of the 12 million undocumented immigrants and tightening border security, but the bill finally passed in 2007. stuck in the Senate.
He acknowledged on Sunday that one of the biggest disappointments of his presidency was that he had not implemented any meaningful reform on the issue. Bush also said he is currently lobbying the Republican Party to take action to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, if they can pass a background check and repay taxes, but it does not seem hopeful that his party will not agree.
“I am now,” he told O’Donnell when asked if he would run his party if President Joe Biden submitted a proposal with the reservation. “Whether my own party listens to me or not is another question.”
The 43rd president criticizes the lack of action against immigration by Congress, noting that there have been “many executive orders, but all it means is that Congress is not doing its job.”
The former president talked about his upcoming book of paintings by immigrants, “Out of Many, One”, but that does not change the policy, but adds that he is a ‘small voice’ among people trying to bring about reform .
“It’s part of hopefully a better understanding of the role of immigrants in our society,” Bush said. “Mine is just a small voice in what I hope is a refrain from people who say, ‘let’s see if we can solve the problem.'”