Panel studies Asian aspect of immigration

The coordinator of an Asian-Pacific American group said that Proposition 187 would not be restricted to affecting only California's Latino population at a lecture Wednesday in the University Student Union's Formal Lounge.

Wendy Yen, the coordinator of Asian-Pacific Americans For a New L.A., said Wednesday that she wanted to "break the myth that [Prop.] 187 is just going to impact the Latino communities," and said that it would affect the state's Asian-Pacific community as well.

Yen also focused on aspects of how Prop. 187 could lead to discriminatory practices by state employees and highlighted what she perceives to be the pros and cons of the proposed legislation.

About 25 percent of California's Asian-Pacific community memebers do not speak English as their primary language, Yen said.

If Prop. 187 passes, Yen said, public-service workers would be forced to deny services and report anyone "suspected" of being undocumented to the State Director of Public Social Services, the California Attorney General and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

"The word 'suspected' is not clearly defined in Prop. 187," Yen said. To determine if a person is undocumented, public service workers would be relying on suspects' skin colors, fluency in English and surnames, which she said allows for discriminatory practices.

"Historically, immigrants have provided businesses, helped build the railroads and toiled in the fields," Yen said. "But immigrants have always been blamed for hard times"

Proponents of Prop. 187 have been ignoring society's underlying problems, such as how to create jobs, she said, adding that Prop. 187 was created out of frustration. The proposition authors probably did not originiate it to be the racial issue it has become, Yen said.

The Supreme Court, in Plyler vs. Doe, held that denying public school education to elementary school children violates the equalprotection clause of the U. S. Constitution.

If Prop. 187 passes, Yen estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 children would be kicked out of school.

Additionally, Prop. 187 could cost California taxpayers up to $15 billion of federal funds allocated to public schools and hospitals, she said.

Yen said that Prop. 187 is a good rallying point for communities to come together and work to defeat the proposition.

Through the use of a phone bank, Yen's organization calls voters in Asian-Pacific communities throughout Los Angeles to encourage them to vote against Prop. 187.

Californians United Against Proposition 187 is also coordinating a door-to-door precinct walk to ask people to get out and vote on Nov. 8.