as governor, wilson was closely associated with california proposition 187, a 1994 ballot initiative to establish a state-run citizenship screening system and prohibit illegal immigrants from using health care, public education, and other social services in the u.s. state of california. voters passed the proposed law as a referendum in november 1994; it was the first time that a state had passed legislation related to immigration, customarily an issue for federal policies and programs. the law was challenged in a legal suit and found unconstitutional by a federal court in 1998 and never went into effect.