Attitudes toward “Illegal” Immigration into the United States: California Proposition 187

Abstract

In the mid-1990s, Proposition 187 in California, directed primarily toward Mexican immigrants, tended to deprive “illegal” immigrants of welfare benefits, education, and all but emergency medical care. It also attempted to facilitate their deportation. By describing Mr. Carlos Suarez as a presumed illegal immigrant from Mexico, Study 1 showed that prejudice against Mexicans and concern about threat to the U.S. economy served as unique predictors of attitudes toward Proposition 187 and illegal immigrants. Study 2 demonstrated that respondents’ ethnicity, prejudice against Mexicans, economic concern, and commitment to legal obedience all served as unique predictors of attitudes toward illegal immigrants and Proposition 187.