George W. Bush

George W. Bush Addresses Immigration, Capitol Riots During SXSW Interview

The former president said that he believes there should be a path to citizenship

Former President George W. Bush arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Caroline Brehman-Pool/Getty Images

Former President George W. Bush gave his thoughts on immigration and the riots at the U.S. Capitol in a new interview for South by Southwest.

During the interview, recorded last month but released at South by Southwest on Thursday, Bush said that "immigrants renew our soul, bring a spirit to our country, and help our economy."

"Rather than ignore the situation, we've got to address it, and I do believe there should be a path to citizenship," Bush.

He added that the country's immigration system is broken, saying that he tried to get Congress to reform it while he was in office.

The former president is starting book tour for his latest work, "Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants."

Former President Bush said he was "sick to his stomach" at seeing the nation's capitol "under siege by hostile forces" during the riots on Jan. 6.

The interview comes as the FBI released new video of what the agency calls "the most egregious assaults on federal officers."

In the video, the FBI highlighted several attacks with pictures of people they are seeking to identify.

One video shows an attacker beating officers with a table leg and nails, while another shows a man attempting to rip a gas mask off of a Capitol Police officer.

In the more than two months since the attack took place, more than 300 people have been arrested. Of those 300 individuals, 65 of them are accused of assaulting a police officer.

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