The punches keep coming from both sides, but the slugfest over immigration may be losing some of its urgency.
As activists try to ratchet up pressure on President Obama to halt deportations and work on comprehensive immigration reform, political experts predict he won't take dramatic action anytime soon because of the economy, the war and need for healthcare reform. A poll by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests that even Latinos are pushing immigration down their list of priorities.
The December survey of 1,007 Latinos nationwide said only 1 in 3 identified immigration as an extremely important issue. On a list of the nation's most pressing issues, the economy was on top, followed by education, healthcare, national security, the environment and immigration.
"Immigration is very important, but it's not as important as stabilizing the economy and the leadership of the country," said Julio Gomez, a real estate agent from Oxnard, Calif., who sees immigration protests as more of a reminder than a call for immediate action. "Don't let politicians forget about it."
Alicia Flores, director of Hermandad Mexicana community center and advocacy group in Oxnard, contends some of the Latinos who are pushing immigration down their list of priorities are third- and fourth-generation immigrants. She said they're buffered from the daily injustices of immigration enforcement: deported parents separated from their children and young adults who can't go to college because they're not eligible for financial aid.
Flores helped to organize a drive in which 5,000 Ventura County, Calif. residents signed a letter to Obama urging his support for immigration reform. They asked for an immediate halt to deportation and workplace raids.
"The Latino community overwhelmingly came out in support of your candidacy," the letter reads.
Many immigration activists say providing a path to legal residency would help the economy by reducing the illegal immigrants who are compensated in cash and don't pay taxes. Flores, director of the Hermandad Mexicana advocacy group in Oxnard, thinks reform will spur spending through a domino effect as simple as enabling illegal immigrants to get drivers' licenses and buy cars and insurance.
But as groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens say they want comprehensive reform on the table within three months, others cite the economy as justification for stopping the flow of illegal immigration.
A group called NumbersUSA is pushing Obama to take what it calls a timeout not only on illegal immigration but also on the flow of people who come here legally.
"How can it make any sense for the American people's own government to be approving more competitors for a dwindling number of jobs?" the group's leader, Roy Beck, said in a letter to Obama.
Groups courting the new president's favor are trying to capitalize on the theory that Obama will have a honeymoon period that enhances his ability to push through legislation, said Tom Hogen-Esch, political science professor at California State University-Northridge.
"Their battle is to get to the top of the queue," said Hogen-Esch, who thinks the economy will push immigration to a backburner.
But Kareem Crayton, political science professor at USC, said Obama wants to build momentum by backing issues that he knows will win congressional support. Immigration reform is too volatile.
"He needs a win, and it's not quite clear that immigration is a sure winner," Crayton said.
It's more likely that Obama will concentrate on immigration changes that can be enacted without Congress, Crayton said.
Mark Krikorian predicted the new president will reduce the number of deportations and workplace raids as a way to appease people pushing for immigration reform. He may push the voluntary E-Verify online systems designed to help employers check on a worker's immigration status.
It's too politically dangerous for the president to push for comprehensive reform that includes a path to residency for illegal residents, said Krikorian, leader of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies think tank that advocates more enforcement against illegal immigrants.
But he does think Obama may support smaller bills like the DREAM Act, which offers legal status to young adults who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
"He's going to throw some bones to the pro-amnesty crowd," Krikorian said.
(Tom Kisken writes for the Ventura County Star in California.)
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