Reforming the immigration system has become the most important problem for Hispanic voters in the United States, replacing concerns about the economy, according to poll results released Monday by the firm Latino Decisions.
Ahead of last November’s presidential election, the economic situation and jobs were the main concern for 35 percent of the registered Latino voters in the country, Latino Decisions co-founder Gary Segura said in a conference call with reporters.
Now, 58 percent of the Latinos surveyed said that immigration had become their main concern.
The survey, sponsored by America’s Voice, the National Council of La Raza and the Service Employees International Union, was conducted from Feb. 15-26 via telephone interviews with 800 registered voters in all 50 states.
The survey has an error margin of plus/minus 3.6 percent.
In last November’s elections, 71 percent of the country’s Hispanic voters supported the reelection of President Barack Obama, but this survey showed that 44 percent of those voters would be inclined to back a Republican candidate who supported immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
“This includes the 43 percent of Latinos who voted for Obama in 2012 and the 49 percent of Latinos who identified themselves as independents,” Segura said.
