PERRY ON IMMIGRATION

Texas Governor Rick Perry is one of the leading candidates to become the Republican nominee for the upcoming Presidential Election. The issue of immigration reform will be an important one in the months leading up to the Presidential Election. Governor Perry has taken some early positions on Immigration and I examine them here.

Education for Children of Illegal Immigrants

Perry staunchly defended legislation he signed that aids the children of illegal immigrants even as the audience at a Presidential Debate on September 12 roundly disagreed.  The Texas governor was asked about a measure he approved in 2001 that grants in-state tuition rates and financial aid to the children of illegal immigrants.  “The bottom line is it doesn’t make any difference what the sound of your last name is. That is the American way,” Perry said. “I’m proud that we are having those individuals be contributing members of our society rather than telling them, you go be on the government dole.”  CNN

His Republican opponents and the Conservative Wing, on this issue and the next one just below, have criticized Governor Perry as too liberal.

SECURING THE BORDER

Perry also made waves when he said the key to securing the border would be to deploy enough “boots on the ground,” which he contended the federal government had failed to do. Several of his opponents at the debate disagreed, arguing that the correct approach to tamp down illegal immigration would be to build a border fence between the United States and Mexico.   CNN

Regarding fencing off the border, Perry has called the notion — especially in rural areas — “preposterous” and, at the debate, asserted his authority as the candidate with the most experience dealing with border security and immigration issues.  CNN

H-1B VISAS and employment visas

Texas Gov. Perry is among those who have taken a strong position on H-1B and employment visas. In 2007, Perry was one of 13 governors, led by former Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed a letter congressional leaders complaining of “severe shortages” in the tech industry and urging them to reform the work visa and green card programs.   From:  COMPUTERWORLD

Both Mitt Romney and Governor Perry seem to take progressive views of the H-1B.  For Romney’s early views, please see the following link:  ROMNEY.

DREAM ACT

Governor Perry seems to be at odds with his Republican Rivals on this issue.  The Texas governor signed a state version of the Dream Act in 2001, allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state college tuition rates.  LINK.  to Governor Perry’s credit, he has remained consistent on this position.  To Dream  Act opponents, he has stated:  “If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.”  LINK.  

After three debates during which Republican audiences roundly booed Perry for his DREAM Act support, he refuses to budge an inch. LINK.  

Perry is the Governor of an important border state.  I would expect him to take a more reform minded view of immigration than his rivals such as Romney and Bachmann.  According to CNN, Latinos make up almost 40 percent of the population in Texas, and Perry carried 38 percent of their vote in his gubernatorial contest against Democrat Bill White in 2010.  He obviously cannot afford to alienate this portion of his power base.  James Henson is the Director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.  Henson believes Perry is conservative enough on other key issues to weather attacks from his rivals on immigration. “It’s one of the areas where he doesn’t fit into the conservative mold,” Henson said. “[But] I’d be surprised if the dynamic of this race turned around immigration.”  CNN.  This is an interesting point.  If immigration reform is an important issue for you, you might be inclined to vote for Governor Perry.  If he were President and the Republicans hold the majority in Congress, you may very well see immigration reform with the next Administration.