Thread: Far right questions Rick Perry on immigration

Far right questions Rick Perry on immigration

Updated: August 11, 2011, 4:40 PM
By Christopher Sherman

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McALLEN, Texas (AP) - For all of his rock-solid conservative credentials, Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have an Achilles' heel: immigration.

Perry's will undoubtedly focus his presidential campaign on Texas' relatively healthy economy and its low taxes and his record in creating jobs in the 11 years he's been governor. What he may have to explain on the stump is how illegal immigrants have contributed to that success, adding as much as $17.7 billion a year to the state gross product and enjoying such benefits as in-state tuition at public universities.

"Gov. Perry is very eager to appear tough on illegal immigration, but upon closer inspection he's part of the problem," complained William Gheen, who runs the North Carolina-based political action committee Americans for Legal Immigration. The group intends to educate conservative groups about candidates' positions on that issue.

Tea party criticism about Perry's immigration record is now appearing on activist blogs in Arizona and New Hampshire.

A 2006 state report said that the state's illegal immigrants - 1.4 million then, 1.65 million now - added $17.7 billion to the gross state product, and that the state came out ahead on taxes it collected versus services it provided. But local governments and county hospitals were shouldering the burden of caring for that population.

The Texas Association of Business, which has backed Perry in all his gubernatorial campaigns and has members who individually have provided Perry with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash, touted that report in its firm support of comprehensive immigration reform. TAB, the state's chamber of commerce, has lobbied for immigration reform and against state legislation regulating immigration.

"The economy would suffer without undocumented workers," said Bill Hammond, TAB president and CEO. "We need them."

Texas remains welcoming to immigrants in ways some other states are not.

Illegal immigrants can get in-state tuition at Texas universities. Neither employers nor state agencies are required to run job applicants through a federal database to determine their legal status. Illegal immigrants have access to services for drug treatment, mental health and children with special health care needs.

"Bush was a moderate on this issue and his party rejected him then," said Bruce Buchanan, a government professor at the University of Texas-Austin. "If anything it's grown more hard-edged since. It's a world of difference."

Perry insists that he has taken a strong stand on securing the border, but his rhetoric has always focused on transnational gangs and drug traffickers, not those looking for legitimate work. He points out that since 2005 the state has steered more than $400 million into border measures.

"Gov. Perry has continued to push for the federal government to fulfill their responsibilities in a number of areas including border security and illegal immigration," spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said. "The issue with immigration reform goes back to border security ... you cannot have real immigration reform and effective immigration reform without first securing the border."

Bryan Eppstein, a Republican political consultant in Texas, said Perry is strong on the issue. He noted that Texas requires proof of legal status to get a driver's license and every county jail checks its inmates' immigration status with a federal database.

"He has approached immigration reform in a way that is best for Texas," Eppstein said. "He's done everything the leader of a state government can do and has called upon continually the federal government to address what they can address."

But when the Legislature convened its 2011 session, Perry's name was already being circulated as a possible presidential contender. For the first time in his decade-long tenure, Perry pushed a bill that would have prohibited Texas cities from acting as "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants and would allow local law enforcement to become more involved in immigration enforcement. It failed in spite of Republican majorities in both chambers and drew opposition from some large employers.

That failure, combined with Perry's comments that the U.S.-Mexico border fence was "idiocy" and that efforts to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants are "divisive," have rung in the ears of anti-illegal immigration conservatives.

"We have not seen much at all on immigration, nothing at all," said Suzanne Guggenheim, a Texas-based member of the Tea Party Patriots National Leadership Council. "There is some disappointment" with his leadership on the issue.

The moves that Perry has made on his own to secure the border have been criticized as more flash than substance.

Perry passed $2 million in federal grants to a border sheriffs' coalition for 200 cameras along the border allowing anyone to watch through the Internet and then email reports of suspicious activity. But few of the cameras were ever installed, the ones that were didn't work, and the effort was deemed a half-hearted failure.

A program sending small teams of Texas Rangers to remote border locations to deter drug traffickers was a regular feature of Perry's speeches last year. But his administration refused to release any details about the number of rangers involved - there were only 144 in the state - or their drug or property seizures or arrests.

Nationally, immigration has declined as a political issue as the recession reduced the flow of illegal workers across the border. But it remains a touchstone for some conservatives. Dozens of immigration-related bills were introduced into the Texas Legislature this year, although none have succeeded.

If Perry becomes president, Texas illegal immigration opponents say, conservative voters shouldn't expect tough leadership on the issue.

JoAnn Fleming, chairwoman of the Tea Party Caucus advisory committee to the Texas Legislature, said, "We have a little bit of trouble imagining that our governor could do that on the national level."

http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/2 ... 519397.ece

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6484--0-0.html

Please view and spread this vid on TX. Ruling-Class & Immigration Enforcement Blocking in the 82 legislature:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q9FCr9KGlc

Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on Immigration and Border Security
Thursday, April 29, 2010 • Austin, Texas • Press Release

Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding border security, the recent debate over immigration policy in Washington and what has been implemented in Arizona:

"Texas has a rich history with Mexico, our largest trading partner, and we share more than 1,200 miles of border, more than any other state. As the debate on immigration reform intensifies, the focus must remain on border security and the federal government's failure to adequately protect our borders. Securing our border is a federal responsibility, but it is a Texas problem, and it must be addressed before comprehensive immigration reform is discussed.

"Recently, there has been much debate over immigration policy in Washington and what has been implemented in Arizona. I fully recognize and support a state's right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas.

"For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe. Our focus must continue to be on the criminal elements involved with conducting criminal acts against Texans and their property. I will continue to work with the legislative leadership to develop strategies that are appropriate for Texas.

"Securing the border has to be a top priority, which is why I have a standing request with the federal government for 1,000 Title 32 National Guardsmen who can support civilian law enforcement efforts to enhance border security in Texas. I have also requested predator drones be based in and operate over the Texas-Mexico border to provide essential information about criminal activity to law enforcement on the ground.

"Until the federal government brings the necessary resources to bear, we will continue to commit state funding and resources for additional border security efforts in order to protect our communities and legitimate cross border trade and travel, while enforcing the laws already on the books."

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/14574/

Note added

ALIPAC NOTE: Our organization is not 'Far Right'. Our goal here at the national organization known for the last seven years as Americans for Legal Immigration PAC or ALIPAC, is to represent the over 80% of Americans of every race, party, and walk of life that say they want America's existing immigration and border laws enforced. We face constant bias in the print media, from the Associated Press and others, that try to portray our mainstream and widely supported positions as marginal or 'far right'. Please review our Platform here at ALIPAC.us and let us know if you feel we are 'Far Right'?

Related: http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-246569.html

Ive changed the title of this article to read...

Illegal Immigration Fighters Have No Confidence in Rick Perry

W

Why should they? His record is all hat and no cattle.

http://american-rattlesnake.org/2010/10 ... migration/

Ours is not a "far right" position. Ours is about as moderate as it can get. It is incredible that people who favor amnesty and promote illegal activity are considered moderates by the press and those who advocate enforcing the law are considered extreme right wingers.

Demanding the enforcement of our immigration laws isn't a political position, or at least it shouldn't be!