Who Are They? The Real Challenges Mexican Immigration poses for Democracy in America.

How were Mexican American leaders able to successfully organize the largest mass demonstration in US history in May of 2006?This remains a puzzling question given the fact that the political participation literature and the turnout rates of these citizens have documented the fact that Mexican Americans had been amongst one of the groups scoring the lowest on political participation. Using the results of a survey conducted by the author in June 2006 this paper analyses the conditions leading to the two most successful Mexican American led demonstrations in California: those that followed Proposition 187 and antiimmigration bill HR4437. This paper finds -opposite to Huntington- that the success of these mobilizations can be attributed to the interaction between: the assimilation of Mexican Americans leaders in California into the mainstream political culture and the context of overt political hostility towards Mexican Americans/Latinos. The context provided the fuel to ignite ethnic group solidarity but receded afterward. Open ended probes were added to fixed survey questions to provide information on complex identity issues which, as the paper argues, lie at the heart of the surges in the political participation of this group. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]