AMERICAN CONSERVATIVES AND DOMESTIC POLITICAL STRUGGLE OVER THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION IN MID 1990s

Abstract

After the victory of conservatives in Congress elections of 1994, various Right groups intensified their efforts, on the one hand, to reconsider liberal immigration laws, and on the other, to tighten policies on illegal immigrants. This article analyzes two interconnected initiatives introduced by the conservatives in the mid 1990s: Proposition 187, also known as the “Save Our State (SOS)” initiative, and The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). In the first case, State of California conducted a referendum on a law that would establish a nationwide citizenship verification system, as well as denying illegal immigrants access to medical care, public schools, and other social services of the state. In the second case, the law prohibited new immigrants from receiving pensions until reaching the age of 65 or appealing the decision of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to prevent a foreigner from entering the US. It also raised visa fees and introduced the terms for denying the right to enter the United States for people with a history of illegal stay in the United States. The examination of approaches and propositions of various groups of conservatives to the immigration issue allows to conduct a comprehensive and objective evaluation of internal political processes in the United States during this period.