Well, in the years that Bush tried and failed to get any type of immigration reform going, there were quite a few Latinos who voiced opposition to what they saw as "amnesty". Some had what I call a "pull the ladder up" mentality that they themselves didn't want anymore 'illegal migrants' entering the country, so I'm not surprised. Or a " get in line and wait your turn" mentality, that people should return to their countries of origin. No offense, but many Cubans, while benefiting from the "Wet Foot, Dry Foot" policy have been completely unsympathetic to Haitian refugees, so honestly I'm not really surprised by the numbers. Disappointed, sure.
While groups like Puerto Ricans historically have taken a different view, there just weren't enough in battleground states like Florida to offset those who were likely indifferent of the need for immigration reform.
What people may not realize that other than Latinos and Asians, the Irish have some of the highest numbers of undocumented residents in the U.S. I remember seeing a news story on RTE that the Irish embassy and Irish American groups were trying to lobby for a more human immigration policy. I wonder what happened to that and why it stopped so short? Oh well, I guess no one's checking for the Irish to be here illegally, lol.