Perry: 'Heartless' Comment on Texas DREAM Act was 'Inappropriate'

Texas Gov. Rick Perry tells NewsMax that his “heartless” comment regarding in-state tuition was “inappropriate.”

PERRY: I probably chose a poor word to explain that, to people who don’t want their state to be giving tuition to illegal aliens, illegal immigrants in this country. That’s their call and I respect that. And I was probably a bit over-passionate by using that word and it was inappropriate.

Perry adds that, as a border state governor, no one else has had to deal with border security more than he has. He says states are forced into acting to deal with illegal aliens because the federal government has failed to do it. He pledges that as president, he would secure the border with a combination of personnel, aviation assets, fencing and surveillance.

States are forced by the Supreme Court to provide K-12 education for illegal aliens, which factors into state-level legislation like the Texas DREAM Act.