Proposition 187 was a California ballot initiative that sought to prohibit illegal immigrants from accessing public services such as health care and education. In 1994, the initiative was put forth by the “Save Our State” Committee, an organization opposed to illegal immigration, and authored by committee chair Ronald Prince, co-chair Barbara Kiley, and California assemblyperson Dick Mountjoy. Proponents of the bill argued on behalf of California taxpayers, citing that taxpayers paid billions of dollars in assistance to illegal immigrants, largely for health care and education. California had experienced an increase in immigration during the early 1990s, and polling showed broad support for immigration reform, including Proposition 187. California Democrats and student organizations spoke out publicly against the initiative, seeing it as an attack on the Hispanic population and an expression of bigotry against Latinx and Asian immigrants. However, the initiative passed by a wide margin in November 1994, with almost a quarter of Latinx population voting in favor of the initiative. The large percentage of Latinx votes in favor of the initiative highlighted a realignment of Hispanic political affiliations as many Hispanic voters changed voter registration from Democrat to Republican. It also pinpointed how Hispanic Americans sought to distance themselves from Hispanic noncitizens in an effort to assert their Americanness.