DALLAS ( CNN ) -- There was no impassioned plea to pass immigration reform . But the image was unmistakable . The sight of former President George W. Bush welcoming newly sworn-in citizens at a naturalization ceremony at his library and museum in Dallas on Wednesday offered a sharp contrast to the hardening opposition to immigration legislation in Washington . Senate passes sweeping immigration bill . Speaking for only five minutes , Bush did weigh in on the immigration system he tried but failed to reform during his second term in office . `` The laws governing the immigration system are n't working . The system is broken , '' Bush told the crowd . `` I do n't intend to get involved in the politics or the specifics of policy , but I do hope there is a positive resolution to the debate , '' Bush said in a soft endorsement of reform efforts on Capitol Hill . `` I hope during the debate that we keep a benevolent spirit in mind . We understand the contributions immigrants make to our country. `` Twenty new citizens from 12 different countries , including two members of the Armed Forces , were sworn in at the naturalization ceremony conducted along with officials from U.S . Citizenship and Immigration Services . `` It 's an honor to call you fellow Americans , '' Bush told the newcomers . Following Bush 's remarks , each freshly sworn in citizen lined up to receive their naturalization certificate and a handshake from the former president . CNN Poll : Generational divide over immigration . Among the newly naturalized at the George W. Bush Center in Dallas , Danny Diaz admitted he illegally crossed the U.S.- Mexico border in 1994 in a long journey from his native Guatemala . It took nearly a decade for Diaz to receive legal residency status and finally citizenship . `` It 's a long wait . It 's a hard wait , too , '' he said . `` But if you work for it and you prove you know how to behave in this country , everything comes through . '' Diaz called immigration reform `` a good thing . '' `` There 's a lot of good people out there who do n't have papers , '' he said . Lance Cpl . Antonio Miguel Villaceran , a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve , was unaware Bush would be in attendance . `` I love what George Bush is doing right now , '' he said . Akshaya Bandaru , who immigrated to the U.S. from India , received a private meeting with Bush along with the other newcomers and their families . Bandaru said the former president was funny . `` I told him I was going into medical school and he said ' I hope it 's geriatrics , ' '' Bandaru said . Bush pushes for progress on immigration . The former president has stayed out of domestic politics since leaving the White House in January 2009 , and the timing of Bush 's speech and a meeting of House Republicans to discuss the issue appears to be a coincidence . Hannah Abney , spokeswoman for the Bush presidential center , told CNN that the Texas event had been planned for a couple of months . The former Republican president tried but failed to pass immigration reform during his second term in the White House , due in part to opposition from Republican members of Congress . House immigration plan includes border security trigger . In an interview with ABC News last week while in Africa , Bush noted the importance of fixing a `` broken system '' and he said immigration reform `` has a chance to pass . '' `` It 's a very difficult bill to pass because there are a lot of moving parts and the legislative process can be ugly . But it looks like they are making some progress , '' Bush told ABC . Asked if it will hurt the GOP if Republicans fail to pass the bill , Bush told ABC that `` the reason to pass immigration reform is not to bolster a Republican Party -- it 's to fix a system that 's broken . '' Bush honors tradition , holds tongue on Obama . The bill passed by the Senate late last month includes an eventual pathway to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States . That provision is opposed by many House Republicans , who consider it `` amnesty . '' Bush 's brother , former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush , last week urged the GOP-led House to pass the Senate 's comprehensive immigration reform package with a few additional requirements . Jeb Bush , who is considering a 2016 bid for the White House , made his comments in a opinion piece he co-wrote in the Wall Street Journal . Jeb Bush urges House to pass immigration reform . The former president spoke about immigration reform at a conference last December . `` America is a nation of immigrants . Immigrants have helped build the country that we have become , and immigrants can help build a dynamic tomorrow , '' he said . `` As our nation debates the proper course of action relating to immigration , I hope we do so with a benevolent spirit and keep in mind the contribution of immigrants , '' he added . Bush quietly burnishes humanitarian legacy in Africa . George W. Bush on AIDS , Snowden and legacy . CNN 's Dana Davidsen and Ashley Killough contributed to this report .
Bush made speech at a naturalization ceremony at his presidential library . Former president 's speech comes same day House GOP discuss immigration reform . In interview last week , Bush said bill should be passed because system is broken . Comment: