Immigration is front and center when it comes to the Latino community living in the United States. The topic is also one of the key concerns in this year's presidential race as candidates are trying to win the crucial Latino vote.

Latinos, however, are also struggling with other issues aside from immigration, and they are hoping that these topics will be addressed as well by the next U.S. president.

Before the Nevada Democratic caucus last Saturday, a number of Latin American residents in Washington, D.C. said that immigration is not the only issue that the Latino electorate is interested in.

"What we want is to have a president who supports us Latinas and betters our quality of life," said Carolina, an immigrant from El Salvador.

Others think that the presidential candidates' dialog about immigration will not last after their campaigns.

"Some of them will talk about immigration, but I think after their campaigns they forget about us immigrants and focus on other political issues that do not include us," said Alicia Siguense, an immigrant from Guatemala.

Latino Voters' Other Concerns

Thomas Edsall, a professor at Columbia Journalism School and an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, said immigration ranks fourth or fifth as a top priority issue for Latinos while education and economic opportunities are more pressing concerns. These two topics are important in shaping how the Latino electorate will view the platforms of the Democratic and Republican Parties.

A survey published on Feb. 3 supported Edsall's claim, indicating that immigration does not even belong in the top three concerns of the Latino electorate. According to the survey, 53 percent of Latino voters are interested in economy/jobs, 40 percent in health care, 36 percent in education, 29 percent in national security/terrorism and 25 percent in immigration.

The majority of Latinos living in the U.S. are not immigrants but are natural-born U.S. citizens. A report stated that the percentage of Latinos that is born overseas is declining from 40 percent in 2000 to 35 percent in 2013. In addition, more Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than are arriving.

Heritage is important to Latinos, but the topics that affect their overall quality of life are more pressing concerns for the community. This includes tax reform, and trade and foreign policy, especially in the Latin American region.

Despite these findings, presidential candidates seem to be drawn towards talking about immigration. They are ignoring the fact that 30 percent of Latinos living in the U.S. don't speak Spanish at home. This suggests that Latinos are as alien to candidates as the people living on the opposite side of the country's borders.