Nowhere is Immigration an issue with the presidential campaign this year. The issue of Immigration once a hot-button issue now hardly seems to raise an eyebrow with either John McCain or Barrack Obama. It seems the economy has taken over as the main issue of discussion with Immigration now being on the back burner.

This seems strange considering that two years ago it seems like two very well known and powerful senators were trying to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality. This is especially weird considering one of those senators is now running to be president of the United States for the Republican Party. The same senator is also from a border state making it unusual for him to be avoiding the subject.

However, both candidates did vote for a new fence on the Mexican border that will cost over $2 billion dollars to complete. This was a controversial measure in that both candidates are trying to court Latinos voters many of whom live in Border States where the expensive fence will be built. Many people, including experts, now believe that this was more of a political measure because the border will be difficult if not impossible to control. This also hasn’t stopped Barrack Obama from pointing out that McCain had originally been for immigration reform but had become an opponent when he was trying to seek his party’s nomination.

In the meantime, Obama has sought the help of Latino celebrities for rallies in swing states that have many potential Latino voters. These rallies have included George Lopez and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Many of these states, like New Mexico, are Border States that have many registered Latino voters. However, Obama will have to explain why he pledges to protect the U.S. borders and crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers. The McCain camp was also quick to point out that Obama had worked to undermine the legislation by proposing an amendment requiring a merit-based evaluation system for immigrations. McCain states that the amendment doomed the bill.

However, both Candidates do plan on doing something about the millions of undocumented people in the United States. McCain is not calling for the same legislation as he did before announcing his run for President of the United States. Now he is seeking to enroll undocumented immigrants in a program to resolve their immigration status so long as they are not criminals, learn English, pay back fines and taxes and pass a citizenship course along the way. This is somewhat like the plan that President Reagan began in the 1980’s that lead to millions of people to get their status in the United States. Obama calls for undocumented immigrants to pay a fine, learn English and “go to the back of the line” for a change to become legal in the United States. Both candidates call for a stronger border and a crack down on employers.

Thus, it seems like Immigration is an issue and not an issue depending on whether it is an election year or not. However, the issue is muted by the fact that both candidates seem to have similar Immigration positions. This could lead to some legislation in the near future to address Immigration Reform. It is only a question of whether the economy remains as large an issue after the election as it does today.

Mr. James E. Root is the principal immigration attorney at ROOT LAW GROUP, an Exclusive Immigration Law Firm with offices in Los Angeles, Irvine and Redlands. For a free consultation contact (888) ROOT-LAW or visit them at www.RootLaw.com