Former President George W, Bush made a few comments in regard to immigrants and the need for Americans to both welcome and thank them. Speaking at a summit in Abu Dhabi, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the UAE in 2008, Bush had plenty to say. 

The Associated Press reports, “There are people willing to do jobs that Americans won’t do,” he said. “Americans don’t want to pick cotton at 105 degrees (Fahrenheit), but there are people who want put food on their family’s tables and are willing to do that. We ought to say thank you and welcome them.”

While he didn't name names, Bush criticized President Trump’s approach to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects undocumented immigrations who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.

According to The Hill, lawmakers are still working on a deal that would satisfy Trump’s demands for funding for a border wall and other increased security measures. The Trump administration unveiled framework last month that would include a path to citizenship for nearly 2 million undocumented immigrants, which is more than double the approximately 700,000 Dreamers in the country.

“It is important for our economy and also important for our soul that the immigration system functions well,” he said. “I view it as a relationship vital for our economy and for our stability. We’ve got to enforce our borders and we’ve got to enforce our laws.”