I don’t agree much with Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s view of the world.
But he’s right to insist that children of Texans who are here illegally – the young people who’ve lived in Texas virtually all their lives – deserve to pay in-state tuition costs when they go to public colleges and universities in Texas.
Recall that when Perry was running for president early this year, he got pilloried by his hard-nosed Republican opponents for sticking up for those young people. But he stayed true to his principles even at the expense of many of those who supported his presidential bid.
I wasn’t one of them, even though I admired his stance on that single issue at the time – and I’m in his corner now as he threatens to veto legislation next year that might seek to end that benefit for some of our resident Texans.
Perry sounds much like his predecessor as governor, George W. Bush – and even like the president of the United States whose job he sought – when he stands up for those who are Americans in virtually conceivable way. All they lack is citizenship – or legal immigrant – documentation.
Is that their fault? Is it their fault that they were brought to Texas as children by parents who sought work? No. Perry’s in-state tuition view reminds me a good bit of President Obama’s decision to cease deporting younger illegal immigrants, those who were brought to this country when they were children and who have grown up as Americans.
The 2013 Texas Legislature – which is controlled by Perry’s Republican Party – is likely to try powering through some legislation that seeks to crack down on those prospective college students. The Texas governor, who doesn’t possess much actual power, does have the veto pen at his disposal. He needs to uncap it and have it ready if and when that bill reaches his desk.