I’m from Arizona too, and you have to know that if Sheriff Joe is backing Perry then Perry is hardly an open borders guy. I hate the illegal situation as much as anyone in Arizona and I know how damaging it can be, that’s why I understand what Perry and the Texas legislature did. Perry only signed the bill, but the bill makes sense since they are not “giving” anything to those kids, they get the same rate as anyone who lives in Texas. As another poster pointed out, they are the children of illegals and better they go to school then join gangs. Texas, as Arizona, is forced by the SCOTUS to provide education and medical expenses anyway, why not take the smart ones and let them make something of themselves. They also have to be pursuing a path to legalization.
You are getting close to driving the nail with one swing. I think Perry is really close to gaining Tea Party support if the immigration issue could be consistently clarified. I would point out that illegal immigrants are “living” in Texas, but can’t be citizens of Texas if they aren’t US citizens. My point exactly is 50 years of doing nothing about the problem just leads to more problems. I have nothing against Mexicans individually. Some of the nicest people I have ever met are illegally in the US.