Perry defends tuition assistance policy, blames feds for controversial immigration policy

Newser ^ | September 29, 2011 | AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is defending his policy of allowing tuition assistance for illegal immigrants at state colleges and universities, saying the lack of a cohesive federal immigration policy forced his hand.

[kabar]

Bachmann rates the highest on the NumbersUSA evaluation of the candiates on immigration. She receives a B minus

Here is how she rates on the specific issues within the subject of immigration along with specific documentation/sources.

[gov_bean_ counter]

You're too funny. But in doing so are making a great point.

Say we deploy drones or put more military on the border.

Then what??? Shoot on sight? Don't think so.

[Norm Lenhart]

Please stop lying about Perry’s ‘conservative’ record. We are (almost) all rather sick of it. He has done some conservative things, but the issues that he is being shredded for are NOT conservative, they ARE true and they CANNOT be debunked for that reason.

Even JR is about to throw in the towel because of Perry’s LACK of conservatism.

RE a post from Sept 25 By JR - edited for content and to protect the guilty:

“Those who support RINOs AND attack other posters AND/OR attack FR while doing so are definitely subject to the zot. And, sorry to burst your bubble, but with every passing debate Perry is proving himself to be an anti-liberty RINO. He’s now doubling down on stupid with his democrat-like attacks on tea party people regarding our refusal to go along with his support of taxpayer subsidies for illegal aliens. And you’re doubling down on stupid for supporting his obvious lies regarding his attempted governance by decree on the vaccination of 12 year old girls fiasco. You should both walk away from attempting to defend the indefensible. Romney is a mandate-loving statist POS, but Perry isn’t proving out to be much better. A pox on them both.”

Ask him yourself if you think I made that up.

Lady, all you are doing is making a fool out of yourself. That is your choice. And if you cannot read my tagline, then I dunno what else to say.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Perry’s Achilles heel is the fact that he’s great when he’s on the offensive but he doesn’t do defense very well. That could be his undoing unless he figures out how to improve.

Maybe he's already 5 steps ahead of you.

[ReaganBaby26]

The problem is that no one will let Perry change the subject and get on to other issues. This can be both good and bad. Good, if the continuing harping on the subject will allow the complete truth to come to light, including Perry’s extreme efforts to close the border with NO help from the Feds. Bad, if everyone follows the media and republican establishment blindly and refuse to do their on investigation into Perry’s stance and actual laid-out plan step by step on how to secure the border (yes, contrary to popular belief, he does have a very exact plan that makes sense).

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

By her own admission, she AGREES WITH and DEFENDS Perry on the in-state tuition issue.

That puts her at odds with even some of the Perry supporters. She’s a real piece of work.

Luckily, there are FEW on Free Republic who agree with her. lol

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The problem is that no one will let Perry change the subject and get on to other issues.

This is intentional.

[SoJoCo]

Maybe he's already 5 steps ahead of you.

Or 8 steps off course, one of the two.

[dennisw]

Again, I am not mad at Perry because of this issue, I am getting furious at Perry, for his inept handling of this issue.  (illegal immigration)

Same here. Rick Perry has to wake up and realize that what flies in Texas (with its decent economy) and brought him success will not be accepted nationwide with our awful economy and awful jobs situation. We can't tolerate illegal immigration in such a depressed economy. Rick Perry is coming off as out of touch, living in a Texas bubble. As aloof, elitist and unconcerned about this. He can change and do a mea culpa on all this and should ASAP

[Norm Lenhart]

Of course not! HE WON’T ADDRESS THEM HONESTLY!

[Gaffer]

Is this really his logo?

[smoothsailing]

Everyone on this site has four conservatives to chose from: Santorum, Bachmann, Palin and Cain. We have two liberals running: Romney and Perry. Why are you supporting the liberal when there are four true conservatives running?

You are wrong. Palin is not a current choice and she is not currently running. Can we concentrate on announced candidates and not inject fantasy candidates into the discussion?

[Cboldt]

-- The case is Plyler v. Doe, but it doesn't mandate illegals in public schools, it only disallowed Texas from unilaterally denying them absent Federal policy. --

SCOTUS found the right rooted in the 14th amendment of the constitution, as a function of Equal Protection; then went on to say that Congress could take away the right, if it wanted to.

-- [Perry] needs to propose a Federal fix grand enough to change the subject and appeal to Conservatives. --

I think there is a rub there, as Perry favors some sort of normalization of those here (essentially, making their presence legal), and a generally more relaxed immigration policy going forward.

I think the Plyler decision is incoherent on the "Federal policy" hypothetical, except when the federal policy is deport; in which case the federal policy would be that the person isn't here to receive the public education in the first place.

I also think the Congressional policy (as expressed in law) and executive administration of policy (loathe to deport; generally welcoming of illegal presence) are in tension.

[MEGoody]

. . .saying the lack of a cohesive federal immigration policy forced his hand.

Hogwash.

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

>>yes, he’s weak on this issue. But that’s just one issue.<<

The immigration issue is not just “one issue”

It is literally the life and death of this nation.

Illegals drain resources
Illegals close our hospitals
Illegals use our emergency rooms as their “free doctor’s office”
Illegals fail to assimilate
Illegals bring more crime and lawlessness
Illegals bring diseases like tuberculosis
Illegals water down the electorate, guaranteeing Democrat domination of elections
Illegals do not recognize our laws and borders
Illegals take our jobs
Illegals send our money back to Mexico
Terrorists cross our borders
Drugs cross our borders
The Mexican Army crosses our borders
Drug Gangs cross our borders
etc. etc.

This is not just “one issue” and Perry is a huge part of the problem.

[MEGoody]

Gov. Perry wants the border sealed and a Conservative Ascendancy.

And giving tuition assistance to children of illegals is the way to accomplish that? I don't see it.

[TexasFreeper2009]

I agree completely.

Heck he could even use this to advantage.

All he has to do is say... you know what... your right. I let my feelings for my fellow man cloud my responsibilities to my fellow citizens and America.

To that end, as of today, I am ordering the Texas rangers to every grade school in Texas to check the immigration status of each and every student attending our public schools at taxpayer expense. Anyone found to be here illegally will be detained and troopers will be sent to their homes to detain their parents. We will setup a tent city in west Texas to hold all the detainees, until they can be handed over to federal authorities.

[Norm Lenhart]

I wish.

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

>Maybe he’s already 5 steps ahead of you.<<

That’s it. Perry is a “super-genius”....just like Wyle E. Coyote.

[Cboldt]

-- You guys supported his tuition thing...well, us 48 other states do not. --

A number of states provide in-state tuition for people in the country illegally, provided they meet whatever in-state residency requirements the state finds suitable.

Several states -- Texas, California, New York, Utah, Illinois, Washington, Nebraska, New Mexico, Maryland (community colleges), Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Kansas -- have passed state laws providing in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens who have attended high school in the state for three or more years. Similar legislation is pending in Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. (Connecticut also passed such a law, but the governor vetoed it.) The Nevada system of higher education does not consider immigration status for in-state tuition, but does require it for a state-sponsored scholarship. Also, some schools in Georgia provide in-state tuition benefits to illegal aliens. The Texas law also allows illegal aliens to receive state student financial aid.

http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/undocumented.phtml