California's Proposition 187, the Save our State Initiative, aimed at eliminating "illegal' immigration to the state by denying basic social services such as health care and education, is part of a much larger social change. The welfare state, or rather its weak manifestation in the US, is being attacked and dismantled. All "liberal' policies are being eradicated. Proposition 187 is a bedfellow of tax revolts, "three strikes and you're out', new manifestations of scientific racism, and the soon-to-pass elimination of affirmative action. In this essay the authors, analyse the social forces and political arguments surrounding Proposition 187, then move on to the larger economic context and end with an analysis of the newly emerging Latino civil rights movement. -from Authors

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California immigration policy Save Our State Initiative policy initiative illegal immigration USA Latino population Proposition 187 civil rights