On Thursday the Los Angeles Times reported:
Latinos now view immigration as their leading concern along with the economy in what activists say is a major shift most likely driven by controversy over Arizona’s tough law against illegal immigrants.
Nearly one-third of Latinos also say that racism and prejudice are the central issues in the immigration reform debate, over national security, job competition and costs of public services for illegal immigrants, according to a national survey released Wednesday.
The national poll was conducted by LatinoMetrics from May 26 to June 8 for the Hispanic Federation and League of United Latin American Citizens.
The poll found that the vast majority of those surveyed showed strong opposition to the Arizona law and strong support for immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and deportation of felons. Republican Latinos shared similar views on these issues with Democrats and independents.
