Posted on 08/20/2011 1:32:05 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
ROCK HILL, SC -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) spoke for a few minutes to reporters here about his views on immigration, which have gotten him into some hot water with the conservative base he hopes to woo as his presidential campaign spools up. What he offered up was a little something for everyone.
Perry said states should be responsible for their own immigration laws, also stating that the federal government must step up border enforcement. He also spelled out his support for a national program that would allow illegal immigrants who serve in the military to become citizens.
Illegal immigration is, of course, a core issue among conservatives, who continue to reject any plan that allows existing illegal immigrants to become citizens as part of comprehensive immigration reform. In Texas, Perry has taken a number of positions on the issue at the state level that have ruffled feathers on the national anti-illegal immigrant right -- including advocating for and signing a Texas version of the DREAM Act.
He opposes the national DREAM Act debated in the last Congress.
But in South Carolina Saturday, he said he supported a main tenet of that bill -- that illegal immigrants can earn their citizenship by serving honorably in the military.
"I think there is a path to citizenship for those young men and women who have served their country," Perry said in response to a question from NachoFiesta blogger Sean Quinn. "That is a very unique set of individuals, and different than folks who have come here illegally and not given back in that particular way."
But on other controversial immigration laws, Perry said the states should be able to do what they wish.
"I am a big believer in the 10th Amendment," Perry said. He said "state by state, they need to make those decisions" about charging illegal immigrants in-state college tuition prices (as Perry has advocated in Texas) or passing laws like Arizona's SB 1070.
"I happen to believe with all my heart that the states would be best served by being able to be free to make these decisions themselves," Perry said. "I didn't think that for the state of Texas and Arizona-exact law was right for the state of Texas. I didn't want to make our law enforcement officers federal immigration officers. So, state by state ought to be the way to do that, not by the federal government making one size fits all."
But Perry said the federal government needs to lead the way in some areas of immigration, such as a national reform package.
"Once we secure the border, we can have a conversation about immigration reform in this country, but not until," he said. "You must have the federal government putting the resources, the boots on the ground, the aviation assets in the air, and secure that border so that we know that the border is secure before we have a conversation about any immigration reform."
The 'anchor baby' industry is primarily on the border. What I observed, while living there, was the Mexican women cross the border to have the baby, delivered by a midwife, and then return to Mexico with the little U.S. citizen.
Mexican women, normally, don't travel from Mexico to Dallas to have anchor babies. It's cheaper to buy signatures or counterfeit papers.
The 'anchor babies' born in Dallas are born to Illegals that live in Dallas. Mom just happened to live in Dallas when the baby was born. Normally, pregnant Mexican women don't travel all the way to Dallas just to have a baby there.
The births might be mostly on the border for mothers who waited to enter the US illegally until near time to deliver, but anchor babies are being born all over the US to mothers who entered illegally well before delivery, or before becoming pregnant. Some have had more than one anchor baby in the US.
My problem is with the millions of Mexican women that enter the U.S. for a few days or, in some cases, hours, for the specific purpose of having the baby on U.S. soil and for no other reason.
Now, maybe we need a different combinations of words to communicate the concept. A baby born to an illegal in Seattle, in a hospital, is different than a baby born less than a mile from the Mexican Border in a midwife's home. Born there for the specific purpose of anchoring the family in the U.S.
Both types of babies are U.S. citizens. Both types of babies 'anchor' the family. One is for that specif purpose and none other. That type is 100% anchor baby. I really hope you can see the difference now.
How much less pay do illegals receive than the Americans serving along side them? What value does American Citizenship hold? It just seems to me, if illegals receive citizenship on top of their pay, Americans in service are being cheated.
Sharon Scheidhauer, spokeswoman for USCIS'Orlando office, sees immigrants become naturalized citizens weekly in Central Florida.
It's a powerful and supremely meaningful moment in their lives, Scheidhauer said. And for those who become citizens while fighting for their country, she said, it has a particular meaning.
Eligibility requires a year of honorable service, lawful permanent residence and knowledge of the English language and American history. The agency waives its fee and expedites paperwork for the military.
"It's the least we can do for them, I think, when they're putting their lives on the line for our country” Scheidhauer said. Orlando soldier who just became citizen dies in Afghanistan
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