Immigration Reality & U.S. Politics: Hispanic Clout Trails Population Growth, For Now : NPR

Hispanic Clout Trails Population Growth, For Now : NPR: "Demographers and other analysts see the Hispanic growth, which has made the group 16 percent of the U.S. population, as no surprise given population trends that date back to the 1990s. The greater significance, they say, on communities experiencing the influx will set in gradually as Latinos, both foreign- and native-born, continue to assimilate — a process likely to take another decade or so.

For now, one big impact of the new data is showing up in politics, as strong Latino growth has guaranteed eight states additional seats in Congress for the upcoming reapportionment process.

'They have got blinders on in the political class in understanding how important the Latino population can be,' said demographer William Frey, a senior fellow in the metropolitan policy program of the Brookings Institution.

'At this point in time, a lot of the Latinos are not registered voters and many are undocumented. But what's important is that the young Latinos are going to be voting in five to 10 years and they are very interested in what's going on. They are going to be key constituencies,' he said."