Ronald Reagan: “I am confident we can steer a course that does both.”

I am delighted that later today I'll have the opportunity to welcome President Gorbachev to the United States and extend to him the hospitality and good wishes of the American people.

Rather than making them or talking about putting up a fence, why don’t we work out some recognition of our mutual problems, make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit, and then, while they’re working and earning…

We must and will dedicate ourselves as a Nation to continue this effort, and to stand in solidarity with those who resist, until the blessings of democracy, freedom, and respect for human dignity are assured throughout the world.

We have not come this far through lack of strength or any weakness in our resolve, nor has there been anything inevitable about what we've achieved.