Perry Doubles Down on Illegal Immigration Stance, Romney Responds

■ At Thursday’s presidential debate in Tampa, FL, Governor Perry doubled down on his support for discounted tuition rates for illegal immigrants:

Perry, on an in-state tuition break for illegal immigrants: “I still support it greatly.”

PERRY: “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. … This was a state issue. Texans voted on it. And I still support it greatly.” (Governor Rick Perry, GOP Presidential Candidates Debate, Orlando, FL, 9/22/11)

■ At the University of Texas, illegal immigrants are given a tuition discount approaching $100,000 over a normal four-year period:

Tuition costs at the University of Texas at Austin are more than three times higher for out-of-state students than for in-state students.. For the 2011-12 academic year, in-state tuition and fees for undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin are reported to be $9,794. For out-of-state students, tuition and fees are reported to be $32,506. The annual difference is an estimated $22,712 and the difference over four years is an estimated $90,848. (U.S. News & World Report, National Universities, 9/22/11)

The Washington Post: More Than 32,000 People Have Taken Advantage Of The “Texas DREAM Act “The Texas DREAM Act has given tuition breaks to more than 32,000 students attending state colleges. The law also sparked a national movement to pass a federal version, which has been championed by President Obama and became a bitterly contested issue that failed in Congress last year.” (“Perry’s Immigrant-Education Stand Draws Fire,” The Washington Post, 9/23/11)

■ What would Governor Perry’s tuition discount look like in Michigan?

University Of Michigan – Ann Arbor: Nearly $100,000 Per Student Over Four Years. For the 2011-2012 academic year, undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of Michigan are reported to be $12,590 for in-state students and $37,265 for out-of-state students. The annual difference is an estimated $24,675 and the difference over four years is an estimated $98,700. (U.S. News & World Report, National Universities, 9/24/11)

Michigan State University: More Than $75,000 Per Student Over Four Years. For the 2011-2012 academic year, undergraduate tuition and fees are reported to be $12,203 for in-state students and $31,148 for out-of-state students. The annual difference is an estimated $18,945 and the difference over four years is an estimated $75,780. (U.S. News & World Report, National Universities, 9/24/11)

■ The day after the presidential debates, Romney spoke at CPAC and had this to say about Perry’s comment that those who disagree with providing in-state tuition to illegals have “no heart”:

“Governor Perry said that if you don’t agree with his position on giving in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, then you don’t have a heart. I think if you’re opposed to illegal immigration, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a heart. It means you have a heart and a brain. Legal immigration is good for America. Illegal immigration is something I will stop if I’m president.” –Governor Mitt Romney

During the debate Romney told the audience that the discount “makes no sense,” and on Friday said it was a plan that “cannot be sustained.”

From Politico – another review on Perry’s debate display this week:

Web verdict on Perry: Brutal

The conservative commentariat spoke with near-unanimity Friday on Rick Perry’s debate performance: The Texas governor didn’t just lose, he bombed.

There was no election-ending gaffe or singularly disqualifying remark. But his second consecutive weak outing set off alarms on the right, where too many cringeworthy moments raised questions about Perry’s durability, his seriousness and ability to compete on a stage with President Barack Obama. Worse, after a near-flawless August rollout fueled his rise in the polls and quieted critics who fretted about the quality of the GOP field, Perry’s nationally televised face-plant revived dormant talk — and hopes — about the possibility of new candidates entering the race.

With almost no one willing to defend a performance marked by meandering or inaccurate answers, botched canned lines and the damaging adoption of the left’s critique of conservatives on immigration, it’s hard to imagine how things could have gone much worse for Perry Thursday night.
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(emphasis added) Read more here.

► Jayde Wyatt