Proposition 187: Is it a Means for Discrimination?
Illegal immigration is a major problem in the United States, especially in our home state of California. Due to such high rates of illegal immigration, lawmakers were forced to implement new laws such as Proposition 187 to scare away these immigrants. In the Asian American community, the views on this law are split. Some see this law as a way to discourage immigrants from entering the United States, but others see it as a means for racial discrimination. Some go as far to say that it raises an anti-immigrant sentiment much like what happened during World War II with Japanese internment. Considering this and other histories of racism in America, one can only wonder if it is true. Proposition 187 was designed to restrict the public benefits and services available to undocumented immigrants. Proposition 187 would require state and local law enforcement officers to attempt to verify the legal status of every person suspected of being in the United States in violation of the immigration laws and to notify the INS of the person's apparent illegal status. This law would also require public health and social service providers to verify that a potential recipient is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the country. If the ag
Ultimately Proposition 187 will worsen the relations between the residents and the authorities, if they institute these unconstitutional practices. By the Proposition denying health care to suspected illegal immigrants, it will not only threaten the health of those persons, but it will effect the health of their families, and all of the people around them. Proposition 187 is just a continuation of the anti-immigration sentiment of the government of the US. For over 100 years previous laws such as the Gentlemen's Agreement in 1907 against the Japanese, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 & 1904 and several other laws including the Quota Act of 1965 which limited the amount of immigrants allowed in the US, have tried to prevent immigrants of their constitutional rights. Proposition 187 obviously focused on the immigration status of the recipients of public benefits and services. It sought to discriminate against "illegal aliens." It, however, disparately affects those of particular ethnicities, classes, and women. The impact on particular ethnic communities are the clearest. One might logically ask which communities are likely to bear the burdens associated with the efforts of state and local agencies to uncover undocumented persons. It is inevitable that Asian citizens and immigrants with characteristics perceived to be "foreign," are the most likely to suffer the direct impact. Concerns over discriminatory enforcement are heightened by the fact that Proposition 187 completely lacks any explanation of how its verification requirements are to be implemented. secondary school shall admit, or permit the attendance of, any child who is not a citizen of the United States or in the country unlawfully.
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Approximate Word count = 1349
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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