Rick Perry regrets calling GOP opponents heartless on immigration issue
Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday expressed regret for calling his GOP presidential opponents heartless for opposing in-state university tuition breaks for students whose parents are undocumented immigrants.
"I probably chose a poor word to explain that," Perry said in an interview with the conservative site Newsmax. "For people who don't want their state to be giving tuition to illegal aliens, illegal immigrants in this country, that's their call, and I respect that."
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.
At a Republican presidential debate last week, Perry defended the policy. "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. "We need to be educating these children because they will become a drag on our society."
The remark was a prime example of the straight-talking style that has been central to Perry's appeal as a candidate. His Republican opponents, however, did not hesitate to pile on Perry for his stance. Even New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - who has repeatedly denied he is even running for president -- attacked Perry for the remarks, calling it "commonsense," rather than heartless, to deny in-state tuition to the children of undocumented immigrants.
"I was probably a bit over-passionate by using that word, and it was inappropriate," Perry told Newsmax, though he continued to defend his policy decision, pointing out that the measure had near-universal support in the Texas legislature. He argued that the policy is more about education than immigration.
The real immigration policy that needs to be addressed, he said, is the federal government's failure to secure the southern border. He said his 10 years of experience as governor of Texas made him well-qualified to handle the issue.
"Nobody has dealt with this issue more than I have," he said.
Perry's opponents have also used his opposition to a border fence as fodder for the charge that he's "soft" on immigration, but Perry said, "We have to live with reality."
A border fence would be costly, ineffective and would trample on private property rights, he said. Instead, the governor said strategically-placed fences should be combined with more aerial observation and agents at the border.
"Having an obstacle without observation is no obstacle at all," he said. "So just the idea of building a fence and saying, 'That will take care of it, let's just build a fence,' has never worked in the history of mankind."
On the trail in Iowa, N.H. and beyond
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Why are there so many immigrants? Greed!!
A local roofing company picks up a van full of laborers outside of the big box store. They gather there every morning and wait for the contractors. They're paid cash for a long days work. No taxes are collected and the contractor doesn't report and wages. He just pockets the profit.
My neighbor says that immigrants are taking our jobs. She is a executive with the biggest national bank. Her landscape is tended by immigrants, her pool is cleaned by immigrants and her house keeper/nanny is an immigrant. She has never asked about documentation, because her cost for these services are lower today than they were ten years ago.
Don't punish the junkie, go after the pusher. In this case the employers.
Zann, is he an American? Is he here LEGALLY? If not, then he is breaking the law everyday he is here. Every minute he is here.
An honorable person would, at 18, say "hey, I am here illegally. I had best head back to MY COUNTRY and try to come back LEGALLY."
It is like if I came to your house, broke in and then said "well, I am here now so you have to let me stay." Then my wife has a kid in your house, and now you have to accept him as a part of your family.
That is NUTS! I was illegally in your house. That makes me a CRIMINAL! And my child? While he didnt ask to have criminals for parents, you are under no obligation to keep him in your home. Thus, he is returned to other family outside of your home.
Same thing.
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My Country? He's never been there! I don't care what blood may run thru someone's veins - you take a kid that has been raised in America and drop them into Mexico right now - they'll be dead in a week! Now THAT is heartless! And being one of those messy, feeling, Liberal people, I wouldn't have the heart to send a kid who has done nothing wrong into a country where he's a stranger and would probably end up dead.
He regrets the statments he should stand by and stands by the statements he should regret...
Not good...
I suspect Gov Perry would support CIR, just like G Bush. This is a form of amnesty and isn't fair to the people waiting in line, nor legal immigrants.
Remember the NAFTA Superhighway project? It was to consist of a two-mile wide $184 billion transit system of toll roads, rail lines and utilities from the Texas-Mexico border all the way up to the Minnesota-Canadian border, to make it easier to ship foreign goods from China and other countries into North America. It became so unpopular in Texas that the Texas portion of it, called the Trans-Texas Corridor, was renamed and mostly disbanded a couple of years ago. Perry was the only gubernatorial candidate in 2006 of four major candidates who supported it.
"Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday expressed regret for calling his GOP presidential opponents heartless for opposing in-state university tuition breaks for students whose PARENTS are undocumented immigrants."