Speech #1030235255

Mr. President. while implementation of proposition 187. the socalled "Save our State" initiative passed by Californians this past election day. has already been stayed by both Federal and State courts on constitutional grounds. the informal implementation of proposition 187 has been very much in the news the past month. We have already heard stories of Hispanic teenagers being refused service at restaurants unless they could furnish evidence of lawful immigration status. of individuals with Hispanic surnames being denied service at local government offices. of Hispanic schoolchildren being told by their classmates to go "back across the border." According to USA Today. "[l]awyers and civil rights groups say theyre flooded with complaints from residents who say theyre being wrongly questioned about citizenship." Clearly. the citizens of California have come to view proposition 187 as a license to take any adverse actionwhether warranted under law or not--against anyone whose complexion or surname suggests that they may be Hispanic. and. therefore. of undocumented immigration status. The problems with proposition 187 are not confined to illegal acts by Californias citizens. Many individuals who are of undocumented status are declining to seek service at California hospitals. for fear that these hsopitalsin line with the dictates of proposition 187will turn them in to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Clinics in Hispanic neighborhoods have already reported a marked decrease in patients. and a young boy recently died because. many have said. his grandparents were afraid of seeking service at an area hospital for fear of being reported to the INS. Some of the consequences I have described were intended by proponents of INS. while others were largely unintended. Governor Wilson of California has already counseled Californians to "learn the limits" of proposition 187. What Governor Wilson and other proponents of the initiative fail to recognize. however. is the racism and antiimmigrant sentiment cannot easily be contained. Once such sentiments are given official sanction. as they are in proposition 187. they permeate all walks of life and affect behavior toward many. many individuals who have as much right to be in this country as you or I do. In but one month since its passage proposition 187 has been exposed as both constitutionally problematic and as unwise as a matter of policy. Neither of these developments comes as a surprise to many people who opposed the initiative from the outset. Clearly. illegal immigration is a problem that must be addressed in an effective manner. The early returns on proposition 187. however. indicate that that approach is not the P.nswer. Many positive steps have already been taken in the past year to combat illegal immigration. I look forward to continuing working with my colleagues in Congress and with the Administration this issue.*