What is Prop 187?
To understand the arguments behind LULAC versus Wilson, one must first understand the proposition that started it all. The original 10 sections of Proposition 187 was filed as an initiative on January 10th of 1994. The emphasis was on the notion “the federal government and the state government have been derelict in their duty to control our borders”(2). Although admitting that, “at least a third of illegal immigrants in California originally entered the country legally”(2), the language throughout still emphasized the illegal immigration pathways more associated with those from Central and South America. The proposition stressed the up to $200 million in savings. The costs of illegal immigrants on public infrastructure was directly compared to the savings that could be gained in voter ballot materials.
Why Prop 187?
Although originally authored by assemblymen Dick Mountjoy, the language was originally introduced by Ronald Prince and Barbara Kiley, the co-chairs of the “Save our State Committee”(2). The group responsible for putting Prop 187 on the ballot was a coalition of citizens and political veterans that Gebe Martinez and Doreen Carvajal covered in the September 4th issue of the LA times in 1994. In this article, SOS members' stories were shared. Starting as a group of ten, the Barbara Kiley, her husband, Prince and Mountjoy “all met last Oct. 5 at a posh, members-only Center Club in Costa Mesa, the future SOS leadership knew little about each other except that they shared the same contempt for illegal immigrants, a group some scorned in their newsletters for the “stench of urination, defecation, narcotics, savagery and death”(same link). Starting as a private, exclusive group, the sentiment reached those who were concerned about illegal immigrants' toll on public services. Barbara Coe noticed the Orange County Social Services Office was limited in having no open windows for English-speakers, but had availability in the Vietnamese and Spanish speaking windows. Although the ideal solution would be to ensure Social Services are as accessible as possible, she determined that this was an issue of immigration reform when she likened the room to a UCI maternity ward (Irvine being a predominantly Asian region of California).
Race and Prop 187
Martinez and Carvajal don’t call the Proposition 187 creators’ motivations into question, but in a distant retrospect, there should have been concerns. Coe was expecting a forced retirement from her Anaheim crime analyst position in December due to using a government owned polaroid to photograph a picket occurring outside police headquarters. The striking dry-wallers were primarily illegal Mexican Nationals. Prince’s involvement started when “an illegal Canadian immigrant bilked him out of $500,000 in a construction project, and the judicial system offered no recourse.”(1). The article revealed that this was “sharply disputed by court records and the Canadian himself, who has lived in the United States legally for almost 33 years”(1). The LA Times Article reveals many characteristics of the movement. Many of the leaders of the now defunct Save Our State were basing their political endeavors on extremely stereotypical and generalized fears about immigrants (what today could be called out as blatant racism). The founder’s personal grievances and assumptions about racial and ethnic groups informed their involvement in Prop 187. Although flawed in logic, the sentiment was infectious and mobilized. Not only did the group succeed in receiving the signatures required to grow Proposition 187 from a group of 10 to a successful ballot measure, but Governor Pete Wilson capitalized on his concerns on illegal immigration in his re-election campaign, as was noted in his platform in the California Ballot Pamphlet(2) and his “They Keep Coming” television campaign, where eerie music backdrops purported illegal immigrants running through the streets. With the economic downturn(3), many stood to benefit from the immigrant scapegoat, whether that be politicians or others like the formally mentioned Kileys, who were owed $51,000 from Save Our State in political consulting fees.
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CARVAJAL, DOREEN. 1994. “Creators of Prop. 187 Largely Escape Spotlight : Ballot: From Secret O.C. Location, Political Novices and Vet.” Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1994. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-04-mn-34888-story.html.
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Illegal Aliens. Ineligibility for Public Services. Verification and Reporting. California Proposition 187 (1994). https://repository.uclawsf.edu/ca_ballot_props/1104
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Thurber, Dani. n.d. “Research Guides: A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States: 1994: California’s Proposition 187.” Guides.loc.gov. https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/california-proposition-187#s-lib-ctab-25769023-