Obama Camp Ramps Up Hispanic Outreach as 2012 Approaches

has done more for Latinos than any other president," insists Pena. Then, Pena listed several items of note including the nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, expansion of the Pell Grant program and healthcare reform.

Missing from the list is comprehensive immigration reform. Are Hispanics disappointed President Obama's team didn't deliver on that?

"Of course," says Pena.

But Pena says what many people, including Hispanics, don't understand is that while Democrats had control in 2009 and 2010 of the White House and both houses of Congress, "we never had 60 votes" in the Senate. That's the magic number of votes required to end debate on a piece of legislation to bring it to a vote. Pena says what did get done -- like the stimulus bill and healthcare -- matter deeply to Hispanics.

Also of concern for Hispanics is the Obama administration's stepped-up enforcement of existing immigration law. Statistics from the Department of Homeland Security show deportations on the rise. In fact, deportations were at record levels in 2009 and 2010, and half of all those deported last year (392,862) were classified "non-criminal immigration violators,' meaning they were simply discovered in the U.S. without authorization.

That deeply troubles many Hispanics including Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., an outspoken advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

Gutierrez' communications director Douglas Rivlin says immigration reform is a "threshold issue" with Latinos. While Rivlin says Hispanics do care about jobs, healthcare and education it is has been noticed "

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