Video by America’s Voice.

Interviews conducted in Los Angeles and Miami between October 23 and November 4 by Bendixen & Associates [for America’s Voice] confirm what immigration experts were predicting all along: the “giant” is awake.

Andy Hernandez, a Texas pollster commented,

“Latinos are flipping red states to blue…in this election, Latinos contributed to Virginia flipping. They were responsible for Nevada flipping. They contributed to Colorado flipping. And New Mexico went overwhelmingly Democratic, and Latinos were responsible for that.”

The votes of Latinos, particularly those Latinos who are “New Americans,” tipped the scale for President-elect Barack Obama’s electoral victory on November 4. Of the record-breaking 10 million Latinos who voted, 66-67% voted for Obama. In fact, if not for the support of these voters, Obama would have lost the battleground states of Indiana, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Immigration wasn’t talked much about during this election season–but, in many states, it ended up being the difference between victory and defeat. According to the San Diego Union Tribune:

…the heated immigration debate that dominated headlines two years ago, when hundreds of thousands marched in San Diego and other cities demanding reforms, may have been the catalyst that sent Latinos to the polls.

Barack Obama made big promises to Latinos on immigration and they listened. Now it’s Obama’s turn to stick to his word and deliver the comprehensive immigration reform that all those who call the U.S. “home” deserve.

FILED UNDER: