Perry compromises

Dear Editor,

"The Rio Grande does not separate two nations, it joins two peoples. Mexico and the United States have a shared history, and a common future. And it is along this border where we will either fail or succeed in addressing the education, health care and transportation needs of our two peoples. ... The fruits of NAFTA have just begun to ripen ... The NAFTA agreement not only signaled a new era of economic possibility, but a new era of bi-national cooperation. ... We don't care where you come from, but where you are going, and we are going to do everything we can to help you get there. And that vision must include the children of undocumented workers. That's why Texas took the national lead in allowing such deserving young minds to attend a Texas college at a resident rate. Those young minds are a part of a new generation of leaders, the doors of higher education must be open to them. The message is simple: education es el futuro, y s' se puede." (Education is the future, and yes it can be) -- Gov. Rick Perry, Remarks to Border Summit, Aug. 22, 2001

Contrary to his populist stance on state sovereignty and American jobs, Republican presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry compromises both. In Texas, to receive in-state tuition, children of illegal alien parents must show that they are "working toward citizenship." They must also demonstrate state residency for three years -- the same requirement a U.S. citizen must show. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the States must provide a K-12 education to the children of illegal immigrants; but it was silent on postsecondary (Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202, 1982). So it is ironic that in practice Perry's "vision" of "bi-national cooperation" includes those whose first act is to violate sovereignty, and as a reward they be granted opportunity to take American jobs.

In Texas, a non resident citizen or legal immigrant must pay full tuition to attend college; but the child of an illegal alien is rewarded with a rate 40 to 60 percent less. Children of these aliens thus benefit from the illegal act of their parents, while those here legally are penalized. How should American parents explain to their adolescent sons and daughters that foreigners, who regularly violate our law, are guaranteed preferential treatment for their children, at the expense of those who play by the rules? Are these "undocumented" students also obtaining government loans or grants? Shall we subsidize the tuition of those whose parents are in prison -- because "it is not the child's fault?" The proper focus is not whether the children of illegal aliens should pay for the crimes of their parents; but rather that rewarding the illegal actions of the parents will bring more of the same behavior. This is where Governor Perry fails as a leader. He believes it an act of "compassion" to increase the incentive for those who choose to violate our laws.

Some argue: "It is not as if they just jumped out of the back of a pickup." That is not the point. How did the child of an illegal alien manage to stay here three years -- "working" on a path to U.S. citizenship? This is putting the cart before the horse. Even so, smugglers forge documents, so on what basis does Texas validate the 3-year claim? Three years could be months or days. The point is the initiating act was ILLEGAL! Governor Perry's "vision of the future" does little more than promise the status quo for illegal immigrants, who know they only need hide their children among us for three years to have guaranteed for them a substantially cheaper college education and a path to citizenship. This is amnesty by another name. Providing in-state tuition to illegal immigrants directly discriminates against non-resident citizens from surrounding states; so Texas is violating the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution -- and Perry knows it.

There is now a legal challenge: Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas v. State of Texas. (University of Houston -- Houston is one of 14 "sanctuary" cities). At issue -- Texas law violates Sec 505(a) of the federal Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State ... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit ... without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident."

There is also an impact on American jobs. Governor Perry brags about "creating jobs in Texas." However, the Center for Immigration Studies recently released a paper: 'Who Benefited from Job Growth in Texas? A Look at Employment Gains for Immigrants and the Native-Born, 2007 to 2011' -- The following summary excerpt paints a far different story from Perry's rosy picture:

"Governor Rick Perry (R-Texas) has pointed to job growth in Texas during the current economic downturn as one of his main accomplishments. But analysis of Current Population Survey (CPS) data collected by the Census Bureau show that immigrants (legal and illegal) have been the primary beneficiaries of this growth since 2007, not native-born workers. ... As a result, the share of working-age natives in Texas holding a job has declined in a manner very similar to the nation a whole." Among the findings:

1.) Of jobs created in Texas since 2007, 81 percent were taken by newly arrived immigrant workers (legal and illegal).

2.) Between the 2nd QT of 2007, right before the recession began, and the 2nd QT of 2011, total employment in Texas increased by 279,000. Of this, 225,000 jobs went to immigrants (legal and illegal) who arrived in the United States in 2007 or later.

3.) Of newly arrived immigrants who took a job in Texas, 93 percent were not U.S. citizens. More than ¾'s of net job growth in Texas was by newly arrived non-citizens (legal and illegal).

4.) Native-born accounted for 69 percent of the growth in Texas' working-age population (16 to 65). Even though natives made up most of the growth in potential workers, most of the job growth went to immigrants.

5.) Working-age natives holding a job in Texas declined significantly, from 71 percent in 2007 to 67 percent in 2011. This is similar to the decline for natives in the U.S. and shows the situation for native-born workers in Texas is similar to the overall situation in the country.

6.) Of newly arrived immigrants who took jobs in Texas since 2007, we estimate 50 percent (113,000) were illegal. Thus, about 40 percent of all the job growth in Texas since 2007 went to newly arrived illegal immigrants and 40 percent went to newly arrived legal immigrants.

7.) Immigrants took jobs across the educational distribution. More than one out three (97,000) of newly arrived immigrants who took a job had at least some college.

When presidential candidate Rick Perry promotes the benefit of allowing illegal aliens to remain here; when he defends granting perks to their children; when he encourages foreign companies to relocate here, and yet allows their preference to employ foreign workers -- legal and otherwise -- then his "Texas vision" becomes our American nightmare. If elected, Perry will push amnesty. In the Fox News-Google debate, Governor Perry stated to deny these children a higher education is "heartless;" Are we to suppose his higher bar for American citizens and legal immigrants is compassionate? His brand of conservatism, first practiced by former President George W. Bush, grew government -- and contributed to our obscene national debt. Americans can no longer afford such "compassion," and it is time these NAFTA "visionaries" stop throwing our citizens under the bus in pursuit of cheap labor and the imagined nirvana of a world without borders. Governor Perry's defiant defense of this practice is the most persuasive reason to deny him the GOP nomination for President of the United States.

Bruce Desautels

Stratton, Nebraska. September 24, 2011