The death of the congressional immigration reform package in June muted somewhat the issue on the presidential campaign trail. But elsewhere, the subject has heated up even more since then, with nearly daily moves by municipalities across the country to clamp down on illegal immigration, which is seen as encroaching on local resources and lifestyle (USA Today) The moves, coupled with Homeland Security efforts to crack down on employment of illegal immigrants, already appears to have influenced Mexicans living in the United States – they have sharply reduced their remittances to their homeland, says the Inter-American Development Bank.

Still, the issue was barely addressed in recent debates by both parties. Several candidates whose early poll numbers remain firmly in the single digits have made immigration the thrust of their campaign – Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), for instance. Among leading Republican candidates, only Sen. John McCain supported the congressional reform plan, and he has pretty much steered clear of the topic of late (Economist) as he tries to rebuild his campaign. Democratic candidates appear more comfortable in challenging free trade agreements with Latin American states – including NAFTA – than in extolling a plan for legalizing 12 million mostly Latin American immigrants.

But the members of Congress who are presidential candidates in both parties may soon need to take a stand on some immigration issues. Newly proposed measures (NYT) range from temporary worker programs for badly needed agriculture laborers, to rant worker program for agriculture workers to a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for high school graduates who are illegal immigrants. They face potentially treacherous electoral waters on an issue that cuts across powerful segments of each party’s base.