There is a way for Texas Gov. Rick Perry to defend his support for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. But just like Jonathan Last’s attempt in The Weekly Standard, Perry’s latest explanation only makes the problem worse (emphasis added):
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 aren’t documented must be on the path to pursue U.S. citizenship to be allowed to pay in-state tuition.
Perry does deserve credit for admitting that federal DREAM Act is amnesty. But then he defends his in-state tuition policy by saying illegal aliens must first claim they are on a “path to pursue U.S. citizenship” before they qualify for the program. A “path to pursue U.S. citizenship” is also amnesty! That is what the federal DREAM Act did.
You can’t say you’re plan is different than amnesty and then justify it by saying that participants must first promise to pursue amnesty.
There is a way out of Perry’s immigration sinkhole and it involves embracing E-Verify as quickly and unambiguously as possible.
