Keep Out, You Tired, You Poor...

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Her allies in the Latino community, the powerful teachers' union and the medical community charge that Prop 187 would turn educators, doctors and social workers into immigration cops. A better approach, Brown argues, is for Washington to beef up its border patrols and tighten enforcement of existing laws. The Clinton Administration has been happy to oblige; two weeks ago, Attorney General Janet Reno chose Los Angeles for the unveiling of Operation Gatekeeper, a strategy to curb illegal immigration along the California-Baja California border, for years a prime smuggling corridor for people, drugs, guns, whiskey and consumer goods. Reno was quick to note that under the new crime bill and other Clinton proposals, California will receive "unprecedented levels of federal aid . . . to defray the costs associated with immigration."

Reno's suddenly aggressive stance just confirms that the whole immigration struggle is playing out against a backdrop of presidential and midterm politics. Wilson has fought back from a 23-point deficit to take a tenuous seven-point lead in the Governor's race. That unnerves the White House, not | only because Wilson has been such an outspoken critic of the President, but also because his strength in the Golden State makes him a threat in 1996. Without California's 54 electoral votes, Clinton cannot win re-election.

But he also cannot win if he carves his base in half. "The Administration," said an official, "has tried to help the anti-proposition forces without pitting Clinton against California's white middle class. But at some point you risk alienating a key part of your base. That's the political dilemma the Democrats are in." Clinton may have solved his "Florida problem" for the moment by muscling Castro and invading Haiti, but neither strategy would work on Mexico, which means the federal money will keep flowing until the votes are in.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE

CREDIT: From a telephone poll of 800 adult Americans taken for TIME/CNN on Sept. 21-22 by Yankelovich Partners Inc. Sampling error is plus or minus 3.5% Not Sures omitted

CAPTION: Do you favor a proposal to stop providing government health benefits and public education to illegal immigrants and their children?