Poll: Seven in 10 Hispanics approve of Obama

President Obama continues to enjoy wide support among Hispanics as he makes his push for comprehensive immigration reform, a new poll from Gallup released Monday shows.

The survey found that seven in 10 Hispanics approve of the president's handling of his job. That's actually down five points from December — when three out of every four Hispanics approved of his job performance — but nevertheless represents a 15 point increase from a year ago.

The president's support among Hispanics easily bests Americans as a whole; while 70 percent of Hispanics approve of the president in the opening days of his second term, only 52 percent of Americans on the whole do.

"Even with a slight decline in his approval rating among Hispanics in January, President Obama now enjoys as strong a position with this group as he has since early in his presidency," said Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones in a statement. "A major priority of his second term is immigration reform, an issue of keen interest to Hispanics. Should it pass -- and the momentum toward action on immigration reform is gathering, with key Republicans in the House and Senate co-sponsoring bills -- Obama's approval among Hispanics may go even higher."

Obama has referenced his electoral success with Hispanics — exit polling indicates he won 71 percent — in arguing for a comprehensive immigration package.

On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano travelled to the Southwest to highlight border security operations as part of the push for the immigration reform bill. The president will meet Tuesday at the White House with labor and business leaders in an invent intended to promote the effort.

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