On what grounds were Proposition 187 illegal?

Question

Disclaimer: I am NOT a racist nor am I against illegal immigration (I myself am a first-generation immigrant).

As noted in the disclaimer, I am not a racist but a law student studying the Constitution. Having said that, my question is: why was California's Proposition 187 illegal? (see wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_187_(1994)).

The undocumented workers entered the country illegally. Proposition 187 simply attempts to punish these "criminals" by stripping them of certain privileges. Why, then, did the courts decide such punishments to be unconstitutional? Isn't it natural, just, and constitutionally-sound to punish when someone does something wrong??

Submitted by a confused 1st-year law student.

Answer 1

It's all about the money. Illegals work for pennies on the dollar and big business makes more profit.

Answer 2

I personally do not believe it is.



Illigal immigrants are not citizens in this country, so to me, this means they do not have any rights (besides human rights). This means, they have no right to go to school, receive medical care, or anything in this country.

Answer 3

your link showed me nothing read this

http://www.ssbb.com/article1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_187

Answer 4

liberal judges??