For the past quarter century, California's Democratic politicians have operated on the adage that the more laws enacted to protect people in this country without legal status, the better.

The Legislature in Sacramento passed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, pay in-state tuition at public universities and receive Medi-Cal. They declared California a “sanctuary state” and prohibited local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration agents. The school district approved extending the right to vote to parents without documentation. Cities and counties are contributing local funds to assist residents caught up in deportation proceedings.

This is the legacy of Proposition 187, a 1994 ballot measure overwhelmingly passed by California voters that sought to make life miserable for illegal immigrants. Although the law never went into effect because a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional, it forever changed the Golden State and demonstrated the political power of Latin Americans.

Proposition 187 was so disliked by Latinos that LA Times exit polls showed that only 23% of us voted yes, compared to 63% of whites. Those of us who came of age in that era vowed to leave the Republican Party and focus on building a kinder state. We helped move California from politically purple to bluer than Lake Tahoe. We taught activists in other states how to fight the Republican Party's anti-immigrant template, which spread across the country and into President Trump's presidency.

Scholars, activists, and politicians still cite Proposition 187 as a warning against underestimating the power of Latinos. However, there are risks in substituting the past for the present. That's why Democrats should be concerned about polls showing that Latino support for illegal immigrants in California and measures to help them have steadily declined over the past two decades.

Going back to 2001, a study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that the gap between whites and Latinos on whether illegal immigration is a “problem” is nearly half the gap between the groups on Proposition 187. It was shown that In a 2012 L.A. Times poll, when Californians were asked whether they supported reinstating Prop. 187, one-third of Latinos said they supported it, a smaller percentage than whites. It was just 18 percentage points lower. A 2019 Public Policy Institute of California survey found that at a time when the migrant caravan was making headlines, 75% of Latinos considered illegal border crossings to be either a “crisis” or a “serious problem.” 70% more than whites. I felt the same way.

And the shift continues. December survey by UnidosUSComprised of more than 3,000 Latinos from eight states, the organization formerly known as the National Council of La Raza is a group that is comprised of more than 3,000 Latinos from eight states. They showed more tolerance for “stronger border security” than Latinos. We tied for last place with Florida in wanting the government to provide a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers. Of all the states, we were the least willing to increase legal immigration or give amnesty to illegal immigrants. When asked to rank their top three issues in the UnidosUS poll, California Latinos rated immigration sixth, behind cost of living, lack of affordable housing, and crime.

Last month, a poll on border security from the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Government, co-sponsored by The Times, found that 63% of California Latinos consider illegal immigrants a “burden,” compared to 79% of whites. It has been found. Thirty-three percent of Latinos say the country's asylum laws are too lenient, compared to 39% of whites. Latinos were slightly more likely than whites to say that stricter laws are “effective” in reducing the number of immigrants seeking asylum. On nearly every question, there is little difference between Latinos who are good at English and those who prefer Spanish, a kind of proxy for native-born versus immigrant.

In this 30th anniversary year, as Californians reflect on the legacy of Proposition 187, it's important to pay attention to these polls. The number of arrests for unauthorized entry from Mexico reached a record high in December. Even President Biden has vowed to close the border instead of rolling out the proverbial welcome mat. California's Latinos (whose growth is largely due to immigration, legal and otherwise) are as skeptical of unchecked illegal immigration as their white neighbors This is a sad, if unavoidable, event.

Migrants walk past a large buoy used as a floating border barrier on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2023.

(Eric Gay/Associated Press)

This does not automatically mean more Latinos will vote Republican. That means California's open border era is beginning to come to an end. Last month, the University of California Board of Regents refused to move forward with a long-promised policy to hire undocumented students without work permits. Despite boos and cries of “coward,” the regents followed the advice of President Michael V. Drake, who warned them of the legal risks.

This may not have been the case when Donald Trump was in power, when California's state lords stumbled in their attempts to challenge his administration on any issue involving illegal immigration.

This strong stance by Latinos does not surprise me in the slightest. In a state where an estimated 83% of Latinos are of Mexican descent, the changing face of undocumented immigration is increasingly unresonant, according to census data analyzed by UCLA's Latino Politics and Policy Institute. I've seen this in my own family too.

When illegal immigrants were my uncles and aunts, we celebrated them as heroes.they told the story of their confrontation La Migra, as if you were in a Benny Hill skit. To this day, decades after becoming an American citizen, my father proudly calls himself an “American.” mohd — Wetback. But when Mexicans started coming from southern states with large indigenous populations, my relatives saw them as non-shifters. Frojos — Lazy — Dissimilar people. our Mexican.

When tens of thousands of unaccompanied Central American minors entered this country over the past decade or so, there was a sense of compassion among my family for them, and a sense of who was going to take care of them. At the same time, there was a sense of dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction. Right now, everyone is concerned about Venezuelan immigrants. At a recent family party, a distant cousin who came to this country without documents when he was young spoke out about the Fox News host's ostracization of Venezuelans allegedly being given free food and lodging in New York. He hurled abuse along with his ideological rants.

Even when the community center that hosted our party had us close its doors because the tuba and trombone were too loud, he said, banda sinaloense It was too noisy.

Ever since the fight over Proposition 187, Latinos have considered themselves California's moral conscience. Of course, we still show kindness to illegal immigrants, especially to the political class. Many of them came of age during a time of prejudice. Supporters continue to demonize white people who oppose illegal immigration as inconsiderate racists.

But one day, sooner or later, Latinos will become indistinguishable from them on this issue that has divided us for so long.

Then what?