Immigration has Become Top Priority Among Polled Latinos

It didn’t used to be that way. In fact, less than five years ago immigration was regarded as the fifth, maybe sixth, most important issue for Latinos behind education, health, jobs and security. But that’s all changed.

impreMedia and Latino Decisions have partnered to conduct a series of polls among Latino registered voters and what they have found is that Latino attitudes have changed. According to Hispanically Speaking News

When asked what are the most important issues facing the Latino community that Congress and the President should address, respondents ranked immigration, 47% as top priority followed by the economy 44%. Education and health followed with 20% and 12% respectively.

The gap between concerns over immigration and the economy is not large. Most Latinos polled said they worried many times last year about how they would pay the bills, and many Latinos had very good ideas as to how the government should go about helping them help themselves:

When asked how the President and Congress could best improve the economy, 57% of respondents expressed a strong view of investing in federal projects as a form of helping stimulate the economy, while 50% said that tax cuts should only be extended to middle and working class families vs. all families including high income earners. Furthermore, 38% of respondents said they somewhat agree that Congress takes into account the economic issues of the Latino community when considering economic reforms.

What was most interesting to me was the increase in the concerns over immigration. I think it’s pretty obvious that the ramped-up negative rhetoric on the issue has pulled many Latinos into a defensive posture; they don’t like what’s being said and they’re taking personal offense to it. The hate-filled rants and political sloganeering have become too loud and too nasty to ignore. And I’m not sure some politicians understood that outcome; that by driving an immigration wedge for political gain they would create a situation with the potential to hurt them in the long run.

My question now is who holds serve on this issue?

Everyone wants to mine the Latino community for it’s political advantage, and Latinos have become p.o.’d  over the nastiness, the insults and the targeting of immigrants and everyone who looks like one. It’s no wonder so many folks are calling for a more civil debate.

What may be happening is that civility has become the new political currency, displacing heated rhetoric as the fuel to mobilize angered voters. But I doubt it. I think the immigration issue has helped Latinos find a new political voice that’s become stronger than condescention and the promises of the past. I think the politicos have yet to understandf what they have created.

The onus now is on Latinos to find the right candidates and get people to vote.