Rick Perry calls other White House hopefuls heartless toward illegal immigrants

A large monitor displays an image of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry during a Fox News/Google debate, Sept. 22, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.

/ Phelan M. Ebenhack

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said his fellow White House hopefuls are heartless for criticizing his support of providing government funds to help lower tuition rates for university students in his state who did not enter the United States legally.

In 2001, Perry signed the Texas DREAM Act, which allows Texas students to take advantage of in-state tuition prices even if they lack legal status in the United States.

"If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they have been brought there by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," Perry said at the Republican presidential debate hosted by Fox News and Google.

"We need to be educating these children because they will become a drag on our society," Perry said, noting that the law passed with near unanimous support in Texas. At the debate, Perry was lambasted by nearly all of the other candidates for his stance on the issue.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Perry's position "doesn't make sense to me."

"That kind of magnet draws people into this country to get that education to get the hundred thousand dollar break. It make no sense," Romney said, referring to a hypothetical student who took advantage of the roughly $22,000 price differential for all four years required to earn a bachelor's degree.

Rick Santorum was even harsher on Perry, calling the Texas governor "soft on illegal immigration," in part because he does not want to build a fence along the southern border of the United States.

Santorum also claimed Perry had advocated for "bi-national" health insurance between Texas and Mexico in a speech a decade ago.

"I don't even think Barack Obama would be for bi-national health insurance," Santorum said.

Perry fired back at Santorum, telling him that he has no clue about border issues.

"I've got one question for you. Have you ever even been to the border with Mexico? I'm surprised if you have but you weren't paying attention because the idea that you are going to build a wall, a fence for 1200 miles and then go 800 miles more to Tijuana does not make sense," Perry said.

Perry then pledged to stop illegal immigration, stop the drug cartel and make America secure when he is president.

Rep. Ron Paul blasted Perry's plan, saying the government should take the opposite approach to the Texas law.

"What you need to do is attack their benefits. No free education, no free subsidies, no citizenship, no earned right citizenship," said Paul, a Texas Republican.

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[AB1955]

I think Republicans are in trouble, I am an Independent, I kinda liked Perry in the beginning, but now I am having a change of heart. Paying for college for immigrants, you have got to be kidding me?? There are to many Americans who cannot go to college due to $$$. I wonder about the true Americans in his state how they feel about their taxe dollars paying for all of this. Illegal Immigration is against the law, why is he not standing up to the law of the land. Also I do not like his opinion of Social Security, we need Social Security to work, our retirees have to depend on it to live, it is to late for them to earn enough money, and there are also so many single parents that will need Social Security when they retire as all their money has gone to raising their children. I myself cannot afford to retire without Social Security I had a son with alot of medical problems, thats where my retirement money went to, like so many Americans we all have had problems that caused up to rely on Social Security in our retirement. This country is in alot of trouble, you can call it a CRISIS. Stop Foreign Aid, we need the Aid in our own country. What is with the USA?? Take care of those at home FIRST. Bring our troops home, let them protect our boarders.
I am not happy the way Mr.Obama is running this country I am also thinking Mr.Perry cannot handle things as well, they both seem to have the same attitude. My way or No Way.
I am thinking Mr.Christy will be the man, hopefully he will decide to run for President, he is a true leader. Look how well he is cleaning up NJ's budgets. If not the next President should take advice from him.

[c91847k]

http://www.toobeautiful.org/perry_040305.html

Perry, stop being a hypocrite!

[canislupus16]

I'm with noloyalisti: "Now THATS funny, a Republican calling other [Republicans] heartless"

That aside, Perry would consider me "somewhere left of center" on many issues. But he is crazy on this. Romney is right, Perry's DREAM Act stance makes no sense. I can't believe this even passed the Texas legislature. Let's see, you're here illegally and we're going to give you a taxpayer-funded break on your tuition so you can get a better job and compete with legal citizens. Huh? w-t-f

Do we really need any more proof that Perry is no where close to qualified to be President?

[wcworkerbee]

Obviously he's not qualified, illegal immigration is a serious issue taking jobs from legal immigrants and Americans. He needs to stay where he is. He lost my vote.

[noloyalisti]

Now THATS funny, a Republicon calling other heartless. Every single one of them has no compassion as they only care about one thing: money. That is why they make such perfect corporate shills.

[tsigili]

The real issue in TX, is that there has always been, an Hispanic population here. You can't get around that, and that mix of cultures makes things in TX a bit different, than in other parts of the US.

Those criticizing Perry for the TX Dream Act, need to get more aware of that difference.

[wcworkerbee]

I guess that just proves he's okay as a gov but not ready for prime time. The rest of us in America need the jobs and can't give them away to other countries. There are enough legal immigrants who can't get jobs, we sure don't need illegal ones to take them from the folks who have worked so hard and spent so much money to get here and get robbed by people who have no respect for the effort they made.

[gadfly65]

I find myself in the strange position of defending Rick Perry. The headline is misleading - Perry didn't call his Republican opponents heartless toward illegal immigrants; he called them heartless toward the innocent children of illegal immigrants.

[freedomsfriend]

For once, I agree with Rick Perry.

You have to love Rick Santorum. He uses his faith as a shield on abortion and LGBT rights but ignores the church on immigration.

[slatep]

And Perry's got a heart as big as a gnats ass when it come to Social Security and Medicare, programs into which employees paid monies to be set aside for their retirement all their working lives.

When the parents of these children brough them into the US illegally, they were not 15 years old, working, paying taxes, and working on becoming citizens.

Chances are WE THE PEOPLE paid for their food, housing, medical care and education.

Perry is trying to penalize US citizens for having the foresight to set aside money for their retirement.

I might add, this money was supposed to remain untouched until a person reached retiremennt age; at which time he could collect from this account.

Enter greedy, corrupt, inept, lying, thieving, conniving frauds who called themselves Congressmen and Senators.

They decided among themselves it would be perfectly all right for them to "borrow" from this account.

After all, they were Congressmen and Senators..

Illegal aliens cost the taxpayers of the US BILLIONS of dollars every year.

Today, thanks to a bunch of people; who think because they are Congressmen and Senators, they have every right to play games with our lives.

Keep in mind also, that they hold themselves in such high regard, they made their own rules so they would not have to live like John Q. Citizen.

Some of this is our fault, because we have let them get away with these crimes for years.

Now, they have spent us practically into oblivion.

They have been getting away with this for so long, they are now dumbfounded that the people would actually challenge them.

All they have left to protect themselves is to instill fear; every other week, that unless we go along with them; the US economy will collapse.

With the poverty level higher than it's been for years, millions of people homeless, unemployment is almost 18% and our children are going hungry while they provide free everything for these illegal aliens, it's really OUR CHILDREN who are suffering.

So much money is being spent educatilg non-English speaking kids;
we don't have enough money left to further the education of our own.

The President, Congress and the Senate evidently need to take a course on how to set priorities.

Let's make this "perfectly clear" we have had enough of the partying (bi-partisanship) and this is not a game.

Their political "games" are having profound detrimental effects on the lives of millions and millions of Americans, and it's time to get serious.

[ZunarJ59]

All things being equal, Perry is done. Now, let's see if all things are equal.

[DJFrey]

Like the Gipper, Rick Perry is a former Democrat and is prone to making gaffes. Also, both governators exude optimism, an essential quality for leadership, where image trumps substance. Both of them were/are tall and handsome with good hair. Compare their images to Abraham Lincoln, who would not get elected in today's sound-bite political culture. Perhaps President Obama 's best counter-thrust to parry his Texas challenger will be to remind older voters that Ronald Reagan raised taxes six of the eight years he occupied the Oval Office.


http://napoleonlive.info/politics/facts-rick-perry-cronyism-etc/