Prop 187: Illegal Aliens. Ineligibility for Public Services.

The way it is now:

About 1 in 5 Californians were born in another country. Most of these 7
million people have become citizens or have official approval to be
here. There are about 1.6 million illegal immigrants in California who
are not authorized to be here. They are also called illegal aliens.

It is against the law to hire an illegal immigrant, but many find jobs
anyway. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for programs like welfare,
but can get emergency and pre-natal health services. A child born in
California to illegal immigrants is a citizen and has the same rights as
other citizens.

What Prop 187 would do:

* Stop state and local agencies from providing any public education,
health care or other social services to illegal immigrants except for
emergency health care.

* Government agencies and schools will have to verify the legal status of
anyone receiving services. They are required to report anyone suspected
of being an illegal immigrant.

* Make it a felony to make or use a false ID that tries to get around
this law.

Note: part of Prop 187 may be overruled by a US Supreme Court ruling that
all children must be allowed to go to public school.

What it will cost:

* About $200 million per year would be saved from not providing health
and social services to illegal immigrants.

* It could cost about $100 million to set up the systems needed to check
everyone's legal status, especially for schools who have never had to
check this before. After that, it might cost $10-20 million per year to
verify status.

* There is a risk of losing up to $15 billion in federal funds for
Medi-Cal, AFDC and education because of conflicts with federal privacy laws.

Pros:

"Prop 187 will stop the services that are attracting illegal immigrants
across our border. A lot of California's population growth is because of
illegal immigrants."

"We don't have enough money to provide important services to legal
citizens. We cannot afford to offer services to illegal immigrants."

" The federal government is not doing a good job of stopping illegal
immigration. Prop 187 takes action instead of waiting for the Feds."

Cons:

"Prop 187 runs against state and federal laws and the constitution. The
answer to illegal immigration is to tighten our borders and crack down on
employers who hire illegals."

"Prop 187 does not send illegal immigrants home. It will pull 400,000
students out of school and leave them on the streets."

"Prop 187 will make California a police state and increase racism.
People will be suspected as illegal based on how they look and talk."

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