Prop. 187 timeline: The rise and fall of California’s anti-immigrant law

Proposition 187 in November 1994." width="2400" height="1600" />

The rise of Proposition 187 in California recalls Ernest Hemingway’s oft-cited passage in “The Sun Also Rises,” about how the fortunes of the novel’s main characters changed — gradually, then suddenly.

Increased immigration from Latin America and Asia remade the face of the state but especially Southern California during the 1970s and 1980s. Many longtime residents seethed, but politicians largely remained silent, even in the wake of a 1986 amnesty signed by President Reagan that legalized over 3 million undocumented immigrants, more than half of which resided in the Golden State.

Everything changed with Harold Ezell and Alan Nelson, two immigration officials who used their deep connections with legislators and local activists to plant the seeds for what eventually became Proposition 187. Their efforts finally sprouted in late 1993, just as California faced its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and Gov. Pete Wilson faced a tough reelection campaign.

Suddenly, illegal immigration became the issue in California.

Listen to our podcast This is California: ‘The Battle of 187’

Host Gustavo Arellano looks at how Prop. 187 helped turn California into the progressive beacon it is today.

July 1986

Immigration and Naturalization Service Western region chief Harold Ezell helps to start Americans for Border Control, the nation’s first citizens group founded to specifically fight illegal immigration. Members of the Orange County-based group attend INS raids in barrios to cheer on immigration agents with signs that say “Don’t Let the USA Become a Third World Nation.”