Rick Perry apologizes for heartless comment on immigration question Rick Perry said Wednesday that he was sorry for saying at last week's Republican debate that those opposed to providing an in-state tuition break to the children of illegal immigrants did not have a heart.
I was probably a bit over-passionate by using that word and it was inappropriate, Perry said in a interview with Newsmax. In Texas in 2001 we had 181 members of the legislature only four voted against this piece of legislation because it wasnt about immigration it was about education.
[snip]
"I have long been a proponent of strategic fencing because it is a critical component of border security, and it works when used in the right places.
I think what caused the hang up was that after it was passed, it was amended to give Homeland Security complete discretion on how, when and whether the fence ever gets built. Obviously with this president, that means it will never be completed.
If Im elected, I will direct my Secretary of Homeland Security to expedite construction of strategic fencing along the border, especially in high traffic areas where manpower alone is insufficient to do the job.
But its important to remember that fencing is only one component of an overall border security strategy. A fence is only as secure as it is manned.
Thats why I would increase manpower on the border, starting with thousands of National Guard and border patrol agents, and Id also make greater use of unmanned aerial vehicles to help gather real-time law enforcement intelligence.
We know for a fact that increased manpower is effective, because weve proved it in Texas with our $400 million border security effort."
[snip]
The federal DREAM Act is an amnesty bill, and I strongly oppose amnesty. The Texas educational residency bill was vastly different.
Because the federal government has failed in its basic duty to protect our borders, states are forced to deal with illegal immigrant issues.
In Texas, we had to deal with the children of illegal immigrants residing in our state and attending our schools, as the federal government requires states to educate these children through the public school system. Lawmakers in Texas indisputably one of the most conservative states in America were virtually unanimous in their decision.
The Legislature determined the payment of in-state college tuition is available to all students who have lived in Texas for at least three years and graduated from a public high school. If you meet those requirements, you pay in-state tuition, whether you relocated from Oklahoma, Idaho, Canada or Mexico. The only difference is that Texas residents who arent documented must be on the path to pursue U.S. citizenship to be allowed to pay in-state tuition.
There were a number of reasons the bill received widespread support among conservatives. Importantly, it has never had a cost to Texas taxpayers. In fact, our institutions of higher learning would actually lose tens of millions of dollars in lost tuition payments if the law were repealed.
And it would lower the odds that these students would receive subsidized health care or end up in prison. Protecting taxpayers was a serious concern, given that a Supreme Court decree already requires taxpayers to pay for K-12 education for undocumented students.
[snip]
Constructing and maintaining a USA/Mexican border fence/system of fortifications/etc. could be the public works program of the 21st Century. Sounds like a win-win to me.
So the HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS saved by not paying “entitlements” (welfare, medical, food stamps, K-PhD education, etc.) to illegals wouldn’t pay for a fence many times over? You Perrywinkles slay me!!
“Rick Perry is hardly a mushy liberal”
Say what? Is he talking about a different Rick Perry than the one who gets all weak-kneed and misty-eyed at the thought that some foreign citizen here illegally might not get a tuition break to attend college?
Don’t take our word for it; take Rick Perry’s.
Oh brother....Rick Perry’s word. What liberalism will he spew today. Michele bachmann is a hero who took one for the conservative movement by ridding ourselves of the rodent named Perry. Thank You Michele!!!!! All true conservatives owe you a lot. Our country was saved by you and Santorum!!! God bless both of you!!!!
Question: How does Mexico treat those from other countries who sneak into their country? Shouldn’t we be at least as strict as they are?
I’ve looked at Perry’s statements on the border fence and border security.
When Perry was asked whether he supported the fence originally envisioned by the Secure Fence Act, he indicated that he would not build that fence, but only fence what he deems to be “strategic,” which is as solid as the typical campaign promise of a professional politician.
Perry seems to make avoiding the inconveniencing of farmers his first priority with respect to fencing.
Perry typically offers a false choice between boots on the ground and a fence. We all know that maintaining forever the annual funding for high numbers of boots on the ground is a chimera. Nevertheless Perry rejects building out the fence, which would let us get by with a lower annual appropriation for fewer boots on the ground.
Here’s what we can expect from President Perry in my view:
1. A couple of years of higher “boots on the ground” and a bit of fencing here and there for public relations purposes. The “boots” focus on criminal activity such as drug cartels and not so much on hindering ordinary illegals.
2. Further foot-dragging on requiring employers to screen employees for illegals using databases
3. After a couple of years, Perry declares the border “secure” enough, saying that it is impossible to achieve perfection.
4. Perry pushes “comprehensive immigration reform” through congress. The Republican congress is unable to resist this when it comes from someone in their own party.
His idea of legalizing them but denying them voting rights will not last long.
Americans do not want an entire class of “second class citizens.” Either they will go ahead and give them the path to citizenship at the first bite at the apple, or wait a couple of years and then do it.
I have long been a proponent of strategic bombing of the Mexican side of the border. Establish a mile wide no mans zone and kill anything that tries to cross it.
We have a supply of labor for menial jobs, they are sitting on their butts in public housing projects now.
Where would you build the fence? On the Mexican side?
(good luck with THAT)
On the Texas side?
Most Texas ranchers are against the fence. It would take away their water rights for their cattle.
In the middle of the river?
Where?
What happens to U.S. land on the south side of the wall? Does it become a de facto part of Mexico?
The University of Texas, Brownsville, discovered recently that plans called for part of its campus to be on the south side of the fence.
Would students need a passport to get to some of their classes?
Officially, the project would cost at least $2.1 billion. But building in remote areas, not to mention legal fights with landowners who dont want to sell, could send the price soaring.
Why don’t we just build the fence around Texas. He considers Texas and Mexico “one region.” So be it. Enjoy.
Duncan Hunter’s fence greatly reduced drug smuggling in his district.
We need it all: fencing, technology and border patrol.
ISRAELI BORDER FENCE ----- this is what a serious nation erects
A fence too expensive?
What has it cost over the last 25 yearssince the 1986 amnesty to provide public services to the 15 to 30 million illegals who have snuck in and are now here?
What will the cost be for them and their offspring in the years going forward?
What will the cost be for the many milions of new illegals who will be crossing over the border in the years to come?
With the money already spent at the local, state and federal levels we could have built a dozen fences.
California alone has estimated the cost of providing services to illegals at $10 billion dollars a year.
We could have had a gold plated fence with a small fraction of the Stimulus money Obama has given to his pals and supporters.
A fence too expensive?
Anyone who spouts that nonsense must have learned their math in the Washington, DC government schools.
What has it cost over the last 25 yearssince the 1986 amnesty to provide public services to the 15 to 30 million illegals who have snuck in and are now here?
What will the cost be for them and their offspring in the years going forward?
What will the cost be for the many milions of new illegals who will be crossing over the border in the years to come?
With the money already spent at the local, state and federal levels we could have built a dozen fences.
California alone has estimated the cost of providing services to illegals at $10 billion dollars a year.
We could have had a gold plated fence with a small fraction of the Stimulus money Obama has given to his pals and supporters.
Bachmann is obviously awesome. I wonder who she should pick for her VP?
I stopped reading as soon as I saw a wall on our border compared to the Berlin wall. That is done to associate the idea of a wall on our border with all the negativity of the Berlin wall which was made by a communist dictatorship in one country to keep people in. It has no similarities to a wall on our border, and it in no way helps Perry’s cause.
Herman Cain is the guy to support unless you want Romney. Perry has done so bad he probably hurt his political career in Texas as well. The in-state tuition law will probably even be repealed now, because before this it wasn’t even know by many in Texas. The Lt. Governor of Texas has come out against it recently as well for being unfair to U.S. citizens. Perry is done for, and has nothing going for him when compared to Cain.
We can’t afford it? We cannot afford Atzlan.
There will come a time, when the invaders have taken over enough territory that it will become de facto another state of Mexico. We are seeing it and so helpless to stop it, because it is not politically correct.
We have been and will continue to see entire towns and then cities become the property of those whose allegiance is to Mexico. They will not assimiliate, all they have to do is squat, control the local economy and goverment and they have it made. Those towns governments will extensions of Mexican government.
We will cede that territory without a struggle.
Folks, the war on drugs costs tens of billions a year. We can afford the fence.
Problem solved. Rick Perry just promises to throw everyone in jail for a year that hires illegal aliens.