Exploring the Recent History of U.S. Immigration Backlashes | Full Report | Retro Report on PBS

Summary

The video script explores the contentious history of immigration in the United States, highlighting the parallels between the Trump era's policies and the anti-immigration sentiment of the 1990s, exemplified by California's Proposition 187. It discusses the economic and demographic shifts that fueled public anger, leading to policies aimed at curbing immigration. Despite its failure in courts, Proposition 187 influenced national immigration policy and catalyzed a surge in Latino political engagement, ultimately contributing to California's transformation into a liberal, immigrant-friendly state.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The Trump era's immigration policies, such as building a border wall and separating migrant children from their parents, echo the anti-immigration sentiment of the 1990s.
• 🌊 The 1990s backlash started in California with concerns over undocumented immigrants crossing the border, leading to the term 'Banzai Dash'.
• 📉 California's recession during the 1990s led to a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, as immigrants were blamed for job losses.
• 📜 Proposition 187 was a ballot initiative aimed at denying government benefits to undocumented immigrants, reflecting public anger.
• 🏥 The initiative was criticized as immoral and racist, with opponents arguing it unfairly targeted innocent children and essential workers.
• 🗳️ Proposition 187's passage led to a surge in Latino citizenship applications and voter registrations, impacting California's political landscape.
• 🌐 The proposition's influence extended beyond California, contributing to a nationwide crackdown on immigration in the mid-90s.
• 🚔 Calls for stricter immigration enforcement, including border barriers and expedited deportations, grew during this period.
• 🏢 The Clinton administration responded to Proposition 187 by increasing immigration enforcement efforts.
• 🔄 The demographic shift in California, with a decrease in white working-class voters and an increase in immigrant voters, turned the state increasingly blue.
• 🔄 The current harsher approach to immigration by the Trump administration has parallels to the sentiments of Proposition 187.

Q & A

What were the key issues that highlighted divisions during the Trump era regarding immigration?

The key issues included the fight over building a border wall, policies that separated migrant children from their parents, and the harsh rhetoric from the President.

How does the anti-immigration rhetoric from the Trump era relate to the backlash from 25 years ago?

The anti-immigration rhetoric from the Trump era contains echoes of another anti-immigration backlash from the 1990s, which was marked by similar sentiments and proposals, such as building a security fence and deporting illegal aliens.

What was the 'Banzai Dash' and how did it contribute to the immigration debate in California?

The 'Banzai Dash' referred to the phenomenon where large groups of undocumented immigrants would rush across the border at night, overwhelming border guards. This contributed to the immigration debate by highlighting the perceived lack of control over the border.

Why were immigrants blamed for California's economic downturn in the 1990s?

Immigrants were blamed for the economic downturn primarily because they were seen as taking jobs and using social services during a period when there was a loss of manufacturing jobs and high unemployment.

What was Proposition 187, and what was its intended purpose?

Proposition 187 was a ballot initiative aimed at denying government benefits to undocumented immigrants. Its purpose was to make California an unfriendly place for illegal immigrants, hoping to deter more from coming and encourage those already there to leave.

How did Proposition 187 influence the political landscape in California?

Proposition 187 led to a surge in citizenship applications and new registered Latino voters, which eventually contributed to a shift in the political landscape, making California more liberal and immigrant-friendly.

What was the outcome of Proposition 187 in terms of its implementation?

Proposition 187 was passed by a landslide but was never implemented because courts ruled that only the federal government can regulate immigration.

How did the implementation of Proposition 187 influence national immigration policy?

Even though Proposition 187 never went into effect, it fueled a nationwide crackdown on immigration, leading to increased calls for border barriers, expedited deportations, and local police enforcement of immigration law.

What role did the Clinton Administration play in the immigration policy changes following Proposition 187?

The Clinton Administration responded to the sentiment expressed by Proposition 187 by increasing immigration enforcement efforts, including hiring more border guards and deporting more criminal aliens.

How has the demographic shift in California contributed to its political leaning?

The demographic shift in California, characterized by a mass exodus of white working-class voters and an influx of younger, poorer immigrant voters, has contributed to the state becoming one of the bluest in the Union.

What are the parallels between the immigration debates of the 1990s and those of the Trump era?

The parallels include the economic insecurity, demographic changes, and the use of immigration as a political issue. Both periods saw harsh rhetoric, proposals for stricter immigration controls, and a focus on border security.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Immigration and the Rise of Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

This paragraph discusses the contentious issue of immigration during the Trump era, highlighting the building of a border wall, policies that separated migrant children from their parents, and the President's harsh rhetoric. It draws a parallel to a similar anti-immigration backlash from the 1990s, starting in California. The script describes the 'Banzai Dash', where large groups of undocumented immigrants would rush across the border at night. The economic recession in California led to a misplaced blame on immigrants for job losses. The situation led to the creation of Proposition 187, a ballot initiative aimed at denying government benefits to undocumented immigrants, which was supported by then-Governor Pete Wilson. The paragraph also touches on the personal impact of these policies on citizens like Kevin de Leon, whose mother was an immigrant, and the broader societal effects, including the rise of anti-Proposition 187 marches.

05:00

🗳️ The Political and Demographic Shifts Post-Proposition 187

The second paragraph delves into the aftermath of Proposition 187's passage and its failure to be implemented due to court rulings. It discusses the surge in citizenship applications and voter registrations among Latinos in California, leading to a significant demographic and political shift. Kevin de Leon's political journey, from being a community organizer against Proposition 187 to becoming the first Latino President of the State Senate, is highlighted. The paragraph also explores how California transformed into one of the most immigrant-friendly states, influenced by the rise of the Latino vote and the departure of white working-class voters. The nationwide impact of Proposition 187 is examined, noting how it spurred a broader crackdown on immigration in the mid-90s, including increased enforcement efforts by the Clinton administration. The narrative concludes with reflections on the current harsher approach to immigration by the Trump administration, drawing connections to the economic insecurity and demographic changes that echo the sentiments of the 1990s.

Keywords

💡Immigration

Immigration refers to the movement of people from one country to another with the intention of settling, residing, or working there. In the video, immigration is a central theme, highlighting the historical and ongoing debates over border control, undocumented immigrants, and the social and economic impacts they have on the host country. The script mentions various policies and public sentiments that have shaped the immigration narrative in the United States.

💡Border Wall

A border wall is a physical barrier constructed along an international border to restrict or prevent the movement of people across the border. The script discusses the contentious issue of building a border wall as part of immigration control efforts, symbolizing the division and the desire for security among some segments of the U.S. population.

💡Undocumented Immigrants

Undocumented immigrants are individuals who reside in a country without the legal right to do so, often having crossed borders illegally or overstayed their visas. The video script alludes to the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants and the public outcry against their presence, including the use of the term 'illegals' and the push for deportations.

💡Proposition 187

Proposition 187, also known as the 'Save Our State' initiative, was a California ballot proposition that aimed to deny public services to undocumented immigrants. The script uses Proposition 187 as a historical reference point to illustrate the rise of anti-immigration sentiment and its impact on policy and social attitudes.

💡Deportation

Deportation is the removal of a person from one country to another, often due to violation of immigration laws. The video discusses deportation as a policy tool and a symbol of the harsh stance taken against undocumented immigrants, with references to chants of 'build that wall' and immediate deportations.

💡Immigration Enforcement

Immigration enforcement refers to the actions taken by governments to regulate and control immigration, including border patrols, detentions, and deportations. The script highlights the increase in immigration enforcement efforts as a response to public sentiment and political pressures, exemplified by calls for more border guards and expedited deportations.

💡Asylum

Asylum is a form of protection granted to individuals who have left their home country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. The video touches on the complexities of applying for asylum and the challenges faced by asylum seekers, including new policies that make it harder to apply.

💡Demographic Shift

A demographic shift refers to significant changes in a population's structure, such as age distribution, ethnic composition, or migration patterns. The script discusses how demographic shifts, particularly the rise of the Latino vote and the exodus of white working-class voters, have contributed to California becoming more liberal and immigrant-friendly.

💡Economic Insecurity

Economic insecurity is the feeling of vulnerability regarding one's financial stability and future prospects. The video connects economic insecurity with the rise in anti-immigration sentiments, suggesting that fears about job losses and economic competition have fueled public anxiety and policy responses.

💡Rhetoric

Rhetoric refers to the language, discourse, or speech used to persuade, influence, or motivate. The script examines the role of rhetoric in shaping public opinion on immigration, from the heated language used by politicians to the emotional responses it elicits, such as the chant 'build that wall'.

💡Humanitarian Crisis

A humanitarian crisis is a situation that poses a threat to the health, safety, or well-being of a large number of people. The video script alludes to the humanitarian crisis at the border, with references to migrant children being separated from their parents and conditions in detention centers, illustrating the harsh realities faced by immigrants.

Highlights

Immigration issues have been a significant division during the Trump era, including border wall disputes and policies separating migrant children from their parents.

The anti-immigration rhetoric has historical echoes from a backlash 25 years ago.

In the 1990s, California experienced a surge in anger over immigration, starting with the 'Banzai Dash' where large groups would rush across the border.

During a recession, undocumented immigrants were blamed for job losses in California.

Citizens groups, upset over undocumented immigrants using social services, led to the creation of Proposition 187.

Proposition 187 aimed to deny government benefits to undocumented immigrants, making California unfriendly for illegal residents.

Proposition 187 was deemed extreme and faced criticism for unfairly targeting immigrants.

Despite its popularity, Proposition 187 was never implemented due to court rulings.

The proposition sparked a surge in citizenship applications and new Latino voter registrations in California.

Proposition 187 influenced a nationwide immigration crackdown in the mid-90s.

The Clinton Administration increased immigration enforcement efforts in response to Proposition 187.

Calls for stricter immigration measures, including border barriers and local police enforcement, grew after Proposition 187.

Immigration issues have remained divisive post-2016 election, with echoes of Proposition 187's sentiments.

The Trump Administration has taken a harsher approach to immigration, including family detention policies.

California's experience post-Proposition 187 suggests unpredictability in the outcomes of current immigration policies.

The demographic shift in California, influenced by Proposition 187, has contributed to the state becoming more liberal and immigrant-friendly.

The long-term impact of Proposition 187 includes a rise in the Latino vote and a mass exodus of white working-class voters.

Transcripts

- Perhaps no issue highlights the divisions

of the Trump era more than immigration.

Whether it's the fight over building a border wall,

policies that separate migrant children

from their parents, or the harsh

rhetoric coming from the President.

- But while it might seem new, that rhetoric

contains echos of another anti-immigration

backlash from 25 years ago.

- Our country is out of control.

People are pouring across the southern border.

- Indiscriminate floods of illegals across our borders.

- Day one of my presidency, they're getting out.

- Deport every illegal alien

in the United States immediately.

(crowd chants "build that wall")

- I will build a security fence

and we will seal the border of this country.

- I was badly criticized for using the word invasion.

It's an invasion.

- [Female Host] The 1990s were a time

of building anger over immigration.

And it started in a place that might surprise you.

California.

- [Reporter] Illegal immigration is a

serious problem in California.

- [FH] Undocumented immigrants

coming across the border were concerning

to Peter Nunez, a former federal

prosecutor who lived in San Diego.

- Every night the groups would gather

on the Mexican side waiting for the sun to go down.

And they would gather by the hundreds if not the thousands.

And at a certain point the groups

just charged across the border.

- [Reporter] It's been dubbed the Banzai Dash.

Human waves overwhelm border guards

and race into California.

- The number of border patrol agents was totally inadequate.

So it was totally out of control.

- [FH] California was in the middle of a recession.

And while the downturn was primarily

from the loss of manufacturing jobs,

immigrants quickly got the blame.

- [Reporter] Groups worried and angry about

the impact of rampant immigration are multiplying.

- People are losing their jobs left and right

and they felt this was because of the influx

of illegals coming and taking their jobs.

- [FH] Robert Kiley was a political consultant.

He and his wife started working with grassroots

citizens groups who were angry that

undocumented immigrants were using

taxpayer-funded social services.

- When they went to the hospital, to the emergency,

they were full of people there

that weren't from this country.

They were illegals, they were

getting medical services free.

Schools were being impacted, cities were being impacted.

- [FH] The Kileys helped come up with Proposition 187.

A ballot initiative that would deny

government benefits to undocumented immigrants.

Peter Nunez became an early supporter.

- The ideas was let's make California

an unfriendly place for people who were here illegally.

With hope that no more would come

and that those that were here would leave.

- [Reporter] Their children would be

kicked out of public schools.

Educators and health care workers

would be required to report anyone

they suspect of being illegal.

- [FH] It was considered an extreme idea

by democrats and some republicans who said

it would unfairly target immigrants

for the state's economic trouble.

- The immigrants that were coming here

were doing jobs that nobody wanted to do.

They were farm workers, they were,

people were janitors or maids.

- [Reporter] Opponents labeled

Proposition 187 immoral and racist.

- Taking innocent children and throwing them

out on the streets, that that somehow is gonna solve

our illegal immigration problem, is simply filaceous.

- People thought it wasn't really

gonna have much of a chance.

But it turned out it hit a nerve.

- [Reporter] More than 600,000 Californians

have signed petitions calling for a halt

to services illegal residents receive.

- And then it got picked up by the politicians.

- [FH] Republican Governor Pete Wilson,

who was in a tight race for reelection,

threw his campaign behind Prop 187.

- [Reporter] Governor Pete Wilson asking the state

with the highest unemployment to give him a second term.

Wilson says don't blame him, blame illegal immigrants.

- [Narrator] The federal government won't stop them

at the border, yet requires us to pay

millions to take care of them.

- [FH] Wilson's campaign ad felt like

a personal attack to Kevin de Leon

even though he was a citizen.

His mother had come to California

illegally before becoming a legal resident.

- It was something that was deeply personal

because I witnessed my mother, I witnessed

my aunts who worked their fingers to the bone.

Who helped build this economy.

- [Reporter] For Hispanics, the largest

immigrant group in the state,

it had become a highly emotional issue.

- The politicians were scapegoating,

demonizing, looking for someone to blame.

That's not the America that I know.

- [FH] De Leon didn't have much experience in politics,

but he helped organize anti-prop 187 marches.

- And they all brought Mexican flags.

Boy that ticked off a lot of people.

That polarized the issue.

Polarized it.

Are you for it or against it?

- The tensions just hit a fever pitch.

As a young Latino I felt unease I think

for the first time in my own city.

My own country, my own state where I grew up.

- Yes to 187!

Time to get out!

- Prop 187 was an expression of unhappiness

with a community that was rapidly

becoming less and less white.

There was a kind of anxiety, anger,

rejection out there in the country.

- [FH] Proposition 187 and Pete Wilson won

in a landslide, but the courts ruled that only

the federal government can regulate immigration.

And Prop 187 never went into effect.

- What happened almost immediately after

is a surge of citizenship applications

and of people saying they were gonna vote.

A million new registered voters

who were Latino in California.

- I thought for the very first time

perhaps we have to run for office.

Enough with the demonization, enough with the scapegoating.

We want to be full-fledged Americans,

we wanna have our voices heard.

We wanna have a say.

- [FH] Kevin de Leon did run for office,

and 20 years after Prop 187, he became the first

Latino President of the State Senate in more than a century.

- My story should not be the exception.

My story should be the rule.

- [FH] Before leaving office in 2018,

he and other Latino politicians helped

make California one of the most liberal

and immigrant friendly states in the country.

A change fueled by a long term

demographic shift in the state.

- It's not just the rise of the Latino vote

that has turned California so blue.

From the mid-1990s up until the early part

of this decade, there's a mass exodus

of white working class voters.

They went to surrounding states.

They were being replaced by younger,

poorer immigrant voters, and that combined,

that mix, is what has made California

the bluest state in the Union.

- [FH] But Proposition 187 had an impact beyond California.

Even though it never went into effect,

it added fuel to an immigration crackdown

that spread across the country in the mid-90s.

- [Reporter] It was Prop 187 that began

the anti-immigration fever, a fever

which has now spread to Washington.

- Immigration went to the top of the agenda.

The Clinton Administration started ratcheting up

immigration enforcement efforts because they were

scared to death of what Prop 187 symbolized.

- [FH] Calls for additional border barriers,

expedited deportations, and for local police

to enforce immigration law, started to grow.

And it was a democrat who signed those ideas into law.

- That's why our administration has moved

aggressively to secure our borders more

by hiring a record number of new border guards.

By deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before.

- It was a really fundamental change in the way

the federal government goes about

enforcing immigration policy.

And created the basis for the large scale

removals that we've experienced in this country.

- We'll build the wall, but who's gonna pay for the wall?

- [Rally] Mexico!

- Who?

- [FH] Since the 2016 election,

immigration has divided much of the country.

And there were echos of Proposition 187.

From the anger.

- Go back to Mexico!

- [FH] To the rhetoric.

- They come over to the border.

They have the baby in the United States.

We now take care of that baby.

Social security, Medicare, education.

Give me a break.

- It's this mix of economic insecurity

combined with dramatic changes in our demography.

We're seeing the story replay itself.

- [FH] Today the Trump Administration is taking

a harsher approach to immigration.

- [Reporter] President Trump has decided

to slash the US refugee program almost in half.

- [FH] New policies have expanded the categories

for immigrants targeted for deportation.

They've also made it harder to apply

for asylum and enacted aggressive

family detention policies at the border.

- [Reporter] Lawyers say hundreds of migrant children

were forced to sleep on the floor

for weeks without enough food.

- [FH] But California's experience

in the years since Proposition 187

suggests that it's hard to predict

what the current crackdown will lead to.

- They're not gonna realize what seeds were being planted.

It's never a simple story of a melting pot,

and it's not a simple story of they're taking over.

It's this constant struggle between feelings of being

threatened and trying to create a larger community.

I think 187 was a signpost on that.

(dramatic atmosphere music)