In a discussion last night, four panelists spoke out against California's recent passage of Proposition 187, a state referendum that will deny social services, like health care and education, to undocumented immigrants.
The proposition, which some have called an anti-immigration initiative, passed in the Nov. 8 elections with 61 percent of the vote
The discussion, sponsored by La Alianza Latina, featured Geography Professor Richard Barff, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Professor Brenda Bright, History Professor Annelise Orleck and Spanish Professor Diana Taylor
Bright began the discussion by capsizing "150 years of [immigration] history in 8 minutes," summarizing the pattern of bringing minorities into the country to be used as cheap labor and then vacating all responsibility for them once they are here.
Barff then spoke about immigration laws and history. He said the widely held belief that immigrants have a negative effect on American jobs is false, adding that immigration has no positive or negative effect on jobs or worker's wages. If anything, he said, "immigrants seem to have a negative effect on other immigrants."
Echoing Barff's comments, Orleck said Proposition 187 was "based not so much on findings, but on feelings."
Taylor said she felt the proposition was a "serious attempt to control the population."
Students voiced strong opinions both in support and against Proposition 187 in a question-and-answer session following the prepared remarks.
On Wednesday a California Federal District Court judge temporarily restrained state officials from implementing certain provisions of Proposition 187, allowing the court time to consider its constitutionality, the New York Times reported.
One student spoke about the possible creation of a "police state" the proposition would create because of its effet of heightening racial awareness.
The possible creation of a "police state" by the "automatic heightening of racial awareness" that the proposition would cause was brought up by another student.
A student who voted for Proposition 187 said her decision was based on "...not an issue of race, but an issue of taxation."
The panelists responed by bringing up the issue of responsibility for the immigrants, who they claim work in less desirable jobs that citizens may not be so willing to take.
