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ABSTRACT
This paper examines how contemporary welfare politics is shaped by race and ethnicity through a case study of the campaign to restore legal immigrants' rights to welfare in California. In response to the recent resurgence of nativism, mainly directed towards immigrants of color, the federal government restricted legal immigrants' rights to welfare in 1996. These cutbacks were highly contested, however, especially in California. There, a vibrant multi-racial and multi-ethnic movement mobilized and persuaded the state to restore legal immigrants' rights to welfare. Drawing insights from resource mobilization theory, we argue that activists' ability to mobilize popular support was facilitated by the “ecological concentration” of ethnic minorities and immigrants, the prior organization of these communities and other welfare advocates, and elite sponsorship. We argue that this campaign's success was due to a combination of the high level of mobilization among advocates and favorable political conditions. Consistent with “framing” and “political opportunity” perspectives, activists' success was facilitated by their strategic framing of the issue and the availability of allies within the state. Local officials and Democratic politicians who dominated the state legislature were key allies. In particular, we emphasize the role of Latino legislators who acted as “institutional activists” by tirelessly lobbying for benefit restorations.
