Thanks for asking a respectful question. You're right to question, because Perry, Bush, and a lot of border State Governors all faced the same challenge:
How do you work with the Mexican Government (corrupt) to help combat crime, drugs, gangs, water issues, disease, and more, while you have the FedGov undermining you, self-appointed civil rights groups crawling up your behind every second of the day, and plenty of legal immigrants who want to bring their family members over.
Answer? You tread carefully. A lot of the "warm and fuzzy" stuff is pure politics, like Biden praising China, in the hopes of getting cooperation on issues of safety for Texans, because he knows the White House won't do squat about securing the borders. Unless and until the White House does, you won't see any border state Governors taking a hard line (except Jan Brewer, God bless her, because she had overwhelming crime stats to back it up and an irate population to support her).
Violence along the TX border has increased exponentially over the last few years; really getting out of hand. The worse it's gotten, the more strident Perry has become about securing the border and stopping the flow. A decade ago, it was more of the "touchy feely." The last few years, it's become a point of contention. Would I like to see a Jan Brewer law in Texas? You bet I would; I'm not particularly happy that he said it wouldn't work here. The Texas House went back and forth over one this session, but it didn't pass, even though Perry supported it.
Is he strong on border control? A few years ago, I would say no - definitely not. Does he realize it is now a national security issue? Yes, absolutely, I believe so. He was in the President's face over it, literally.
I realize this may not sway you, or even convince you that he's one way or the other, but I wanted to give you an absolutely honest opinion and let you decide for yourself.
I prefer the Herman Cain approach myself - Tall Fences and Open Arms. Enforce the existing laws. No amnesty!!
Actually he appears not to.
In the last session of the Texas Lege, Perry did some posturing at the start of the session -- that's all it was, posturing -- about going after "sanctuary cities" for their forbidding police to inquire about or even look at questions of illegal immigration. And yet he had given the Texas DPS (state troopers) the same guidance himself.
Some cities like Houston have now had police officers murdered by armed illegal aliens, so that the "sanctuary" mayors have had to answer for these deaths -- which in former Mayor Bill White's case in Houston, took the form of his running for governor against Perry. He lost.
Rick Perry's original pro-sanctuary, pro-illegal policy.
During the special session just ended, Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and Texas house speaker Joe Straus made sure that Perry's phony early-session rant against "sanctuary cities" did NOT become law. A bill was knifed and left to bleed to death in the middle of the street as the session came to an end.