That’s not necessarily true. Hate his Texas stance on illegals all you want, but he has consistently been a states right guy on all issues for a long time. He has also been against Washington dictating anything for a long time.
I thought Bush's policies towards illegals as Tx governor were just something necessary to win at the local level, too, and expected he'd evolve his perspective on the border commensurate with his duties as the chief executive. He didn't.
Its too crucial an issue.