In his speech, Bush said that since his last visit, increased deterrence had resulted in a 55% reduction in apprehensions along the 125-mile border from the Yuma-Pima County line in Arizona to the Imperial Sand Dunes in California.
"One way that the Border Patrol can tell whether or not we're making progress is the number of apprehensions," he said. "When you're apprehending fewer people, it means fewer are trying to come across. And fewer are trying to come across because we're deterring people from attempting illegal border crossings in the first place."
Bush noted that under his watch, the number of border agents nationwide had risen to 13,000, from about 9,000 -- and that the total was to reach 18,000 by 2008.
"You can't do the job the American people expect unless you've got the manpower, and we're increasing the manpower down here," he said.
He also said his administration was "cracking down on employers who knowingly violate the law" by hiring illegal immigrants.
Reaction to Bush's speech underscored the hurdles facing an immigration bill.
Rep. Steve King of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the immigration subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, said he did not hear signs of a major policy shift in Bush's remarks. King remains opposed to the president's immigration plan because he considers it tantamount to amnesty, he said.
"My definition of amnesty is when you forgive and reward lawbreakers with the objective of their crimes," he said.
Janet Murguia, president and chief executive of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Latino civil rights group, said Bush gave a good speech. But she also said she did not hear much new from him.
"At some point very soon," she said, "he needs to stop selling and start delivering on the principles of this plan."
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Times staff writer Adam Schreck in Washington contributed to this report.
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
