It's my honor to welcome citizens from all across our country here to the Roosevelt Room and the White House to discuss our common commitment to make sure that every American is treated with respect and dignity during this period of—during any period, for that matter, of American history, but particularly during this time.
An American Sikh has been killed, unjustly so. These citizens bring their hearts with them, and I can assure them that our Government will do everything we can to not only bring those people to justice but also to treat every human life as dear and to respect the values that made our country so different and so unique. We're all Americans, bound together by common ideals and common values.
So I want to welcome you all here. We're honored that you're here in the White House, and I look forward to a good, frank discussion.
Thank you for coming.
NOTE: The President spoke at 12:10 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Indian immigrant who was killed September 15 in Mesa, AZ, in a suspected hate crime.
George W. Bush, Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Sikh Community Leaders Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/212183