Perry repeats opposition to building fence along U.S.-Mexican border

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry repeated his opposition to a controversial proposal to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border while campaigning in New Hampshire.

“No, I don’t support a fence on the border,” Perry said, The Associated Press reported.

“The fact is, it’s 1,200 miles from [Brownsville, Texas, to El Paso, Texas],” he said. “Two things: How long you think it would take to build that? And then if you build a 30-foot wall from El Paso to Brownsville, the 35-foot ladder business gets real good.”

The Texas governor instead proposed using what he termed “strategic fencing” and National Guard troops to control migration and drug trafficking along the border.

Perry’s opposition to the fence may harm his standing among Tea Party activists who have strong concerns about illegal immigration.

Perry, a late entrant into the race for the GOP’s 2012 presidential nomination, has quickly vaulted to front-runner status.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Perry as the choice of 24 percent of Republican voters, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) receiving 18 percent. The poll was the latest to confirm Perry’s quick surge to the top of the GOP pack.

---