Will Hispanic Voters Be Faithfulto Obama or Support a Republican?

Hispanic voters are facing a dilemma in the 2012 presidential elections: continue supporting President Barack Obama despite the economic crisis that continues to affect them, or give their votes to the Republicans at a time when many of the party’s presidential candidates have adopted a strong stance on the topic of immigration.

On Monday, Obama commenced a three-day campaign through the western states of America, beginning with a stop in Las Vegas. The president will seek support for his jobs plan in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country. The campaign is beginning at a time when the immigration issue has become an increasingly heated topic in Republican debates.

Entrepreneur Herman Cain recently proposed an electric fence along the Mexican Border that would kill anyone trying to enter the country illegally. He later said the comment was a joke and apologized.

Representative Michele Bachmann has discussed the issue of “anchor babies,” a term considered offensive by many, that refers to the children of illegal immigrants who are born in the United States.

Governor of Texas, Republican Rick Perry, has been criticized by rivals in his party for a law that allows some illegal immigrants to pay the resident tuition rate for state universities.

Former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, said that the majority of jobs created under Rick Perry’s governorship went to illegal immigrants. Perry, in turn, criticized Romney in the Las Vegas Republican presidential debate for contracting a landscaping company that employed illegal immigrants.

Obama received two-thirds of the Hispanic votes in 2008, but some of these voters have felt disillusioned over the past three years by the economic crisis and unemployment, which has risen 11 percent in the Latino population. Others criticize the number of deportations under Obama’s administration and the lack of advancements in immigration law reform.

A recent Gallup poll showed Obama with an approval rating of 49 percent among Hispanic voters, compared to approximately 60 percent at the beginning of this year. Hispanic votes could be decisive in the 2012 elections, especially in disputed states like Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado.

Obama has said that his job program would help Hispanics in the construction industry and provide tax breaks for small businesses. As for immigration, the president has concentrated on deporting violent offenders and called upon Congress to create a path for the naturalization of illegal immigrants.

Furthermore, Obama has sought support for a bill that would provide legalization of citizenship status for university students and members of the armed forces who have brought children to the country.