Final answer:
Undocumented immigrants in California are victims of scapegoating, which is the act of blaming an out-group for the in-group's problems. This phenomenon is explained by the scapegoat theory, where the dominant group displaces frustration onto a subordinate group.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of the student's question, the undocumented immigrants are victims of scapegoating. This term refers to the act of blaming an out-group, often a minority or marginalized community, when the in-group experiences frustration or is blocked from obtaining a goal. Historically, this has occurred multiple times, such as the blame placed on Chinese migrants in California, or the way in which Adolf Hitler blamed the Jewish population for Germany's problems. Scapegoat theory explains this phenomenon as a displacement of aggression onto a subordinate group. Undocumented immigrants in many cases become easy targets for such blame, especially when legal disputes and economic disparities play significant roles in their presence in the country.