US:HISPANICS ARE increasingly pessimistic about their situation in the US and angry about the aggressive immigration enforcement policies of the Bush administration, findings that could have implications for the presidential election, according to a new survey.
Nearly 10 per cent of Hispanics say they had been stopped by police or other authorities asking about their immigration status in the past year, including 8 per cent of native-born Hispanics.
Nearly 15 per cent say it has been hard to find or keep a job because they are Hispanic and 10 per cent say the same thing about housing. Up from 53 per cent last year, 57 per cent of Hispanics worry that they themselves, a friend or family member will be deported.
Half of those surveyed say the situation for Hispanics is worse now than a year ago. In a similar survey last year, only one-third took that view.
Unhappiness among Hispanics could have important consequences for the presidential election, particularly for Republican John McCain, who is striving in ads and speeches to bolster an immigrant-friendly image.
The Pew survey found that 66 per cent of Hispanic registered voters back Barack Obama, while 23 per cent support Mr McCain. These levels mark a swing back to traditional levels of Hispanic support for Democratic candidates after a groundswell of support for President George Bush in 2004.
Mr Bush drew 40 per cent of Hispanic voters in 2004, an unprecedented showing for a Republican candidate. Democratic candidates usually pull more than 60 per cent of the Hispanic vote. Hispanic voters make up 8 per cent of the electorate, but there are higher percentages in some key swing states. They will comprise 35 per cent in New Mexico, 14 per cent in Florida and about 11 to 12 per cent in Nevada and Colorado.
Pew researchers found that for these voters, immigration is playing a more important role; 34 per cent of Hispanics said immigration was extremely important to them in this presidential campaign, up from 28 per cent in 2004. - ( Los Angeles Times-Washington Postservice)