We are all familiar with the inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”. Could it be that these are exactly the ones that we are trying to keep out? Foreigners are less welcome precisely because t

It is interesting that the voters made immigration such an important issue in the 1994 election. In November of 1993 an opinion poll showed that immigration was hardly a concern at all for California voters. The Field Poll in 1986 measured immigration to be 15th out of 27 issues with only 53 percent registering it as “extremely important.” (Cahn 168). (And now, in 2004, illegal immigration issues are again at the forefront of California politics).

Are we attempting to keep out the “tired, poor, huddled masses? No. We just want them to use the right means by which to enter and be a citizen of the state. Wilson helped us to see that immigration is an important issue. Arnold is now the torchbearer. Who better then a legal immigrant who has realized the American dream to show us the way? With Schwarzenegger and Wilson working together the issues dealing with illegal immigration will soon be “Terminated!” (Sorry for the cheap use of the quote, but I had to use it somewhere!)

Today 22% of Californians are foreign born, and up to one-quarter of all immigrants to the U.S. have settled in the Southern California region. (Cahn 164). What can you do? Southern California just appeals to all the senses. The smells, the sights, and oh yeah, the benefits available to all. Come one, come all we’ve got plenty of room, and apparently, an unlimited supply of public available-funds.

Proponents of the bill, such as labor and civil-rights activists, say Californians would be safer if every driver, including illegal immigrants, is licensed, tested and insured. Upon entering office Schwarzenegger moved to repeal the law. Convening in a special session, Assembly Democrats blocked efforts to immediately repeal the law, and Senate President Pro Tem John Burton labeled as "racist" the push to kill SB 60. Schwarzenegger did however offer the possibility of an eventual compromise, saying he would consider allowing licenses for illegal immigrants who undergo background checks, but only after SB 60 is overturned. "We want to get rid of it, because it has been done the wrong way," Schwarzenegger said (Sacramento Bee). After 9/11 the main concern in everyone’s mind is terrorism. Schwarzenegger was able to use that to generate support for his desire to kill the drivers’ license law.

The reelection campaign of 1994 was not going well for Wilson. He was loosing by a very large margin, but behind the issue of illegal immigration and Proposition 187 he was able to turn it around and win by a landslide. Proposition 187, also called SOS (Save Our State) was designed to stop illegal aliens from entering the state. (Cahn 166-167). What it really did was eliminate healthcare, educational benefits, and other public services for illegal immigrants. Approved by voters in November of 1994 by almost 60%, it was later ruled that many parts of the law were unconstitutional and struck down. Much of the statute violates two provisions of the constitution: 1) the Supremacy Clause by stepping on ground preempted by federal immigration law, and 2) the Fourteenth amendment in deporting California citizens without due process. In her November 1995 ruling, Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer found that the state could not bar illegal immigrants from health care and social welfare services since most of these services were fe

Some topics in this essay:
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