In debates, advertisements and town hall meetings, the Presidential candidates are tending to scatter Spanish words throughout their speeches in the hopes of attracting Hispanic voters, the largest minority in the US.  While for some of the candidates trying to speak the language is a problem, some Latinos interpret the candidates’ attempts to speak their language as a sign of respect for their growing political influence.

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In a campaign appearance at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, President Bush proposed a big increase in homeland-security spending and promoted his temporary-worker initiative to aid illegal immigrants.  He said he predicted an increase of almost 10 percent on homeland security throughout the government.

Bush said that as long as employers and workers are willing, there should be an open and honest system that allows for temporary work.  He was quick to say that he wholeheartedly opposes amnesty because it encourages further illegal immigration and rewards law breakers.  He said that the current system ignores reality, and needs to be changed.

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US Senate candidate Howard Kaloogian, former member of the California state assembly, came out last week against President Bush's plan to ease the way for immigrants to work in the United States. He also won the endorsement of Ron Prince, the author of Proposition 187, the controversial anti-illegal immigration measure that voters approved and a court later overturned.  Kaloogian has said publicly that the program proposed by Bush triggers more illegal immigration, as well as questions the fairness of granting legal status to people already in the country.

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As those running for a seat in the Illinois Senate are gearing up their campaigns, immigration issues are dividing both Democratic and Republican hopefuls.  Democrats are uniformly criticizing the Bush administration’s proposal, with the biggest immigration divide over spending, as some support spending more on border patrols with Mexico and others say enough is spent.

Republicans are generally split on the immigration plan proposed by the president, as only two called it a good starting point for debate while the remaining Republicans criticized it.  Nearly all the Republican candidates support more spending on border security.

None of the 14 candidates supports an amnesty program that would legalize all current illegal immigrants living and working in the United States.  Nearly all Republicans and Democrats said businesses that employ illegal immigrants should face criminal fines and penalties.