From the Chicana/o Movement to the Immigrant Rights Movement: Shift in Political Orientation

This essay examines the transition between two Chicanx/Latinx political periods in the late twentieth century—the Chicana/o movement and the immigrant rights movement. It argues that the 1980s were a transformative decade in ethnic Mexican identity and political positioning in the United States due, in large part, to the passage of the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986. The essay charts how the immigrant rights movement emerged and how it had historical links to the Chicana/o movement, but how it also became an entity of its own, breaking from its predecessor. To map the significance of the changing political consciousness, the essay briefly anchors the Chicana/o movement to immigrant rights. Next, it claims that the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) provided a catalyst for Chicanx/Latinxs to organize under the premise of immigrant rights. Finally, it examines the shift in political formation during the 1994 anti–Proposition 187 campaign in Southern California. On the heels of Proposition 187’s thirtieth anniversary, this essay is particularly timely because it demonstrates how social movements build and evolve to continue to make their demands on nation-states.