Thus far in this year's presidential race, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have largely focused their immigration-related rhetoric on illegal immigration. And while the BBC states that "illegal immigration is set to be one of the key issues in the presidential campaign," what about immigrants who are already here legally? How might their opinions on politics resemble or differ from those of the U.S.-born young people I've interviewed?

In light of the recent Fourth of July holiday, when a nation built on immigration celebrated its history, I find it both fascinating and necessary to consider the role of the immigrant in U.S. politics-particularly here in New York City, an incredibly diverse metropolis that owes much of its cultural mosaic to the contributions of immigrants. According to the NYC Department of City Planning, "In 2000, there were 5.2 million foreign-born residents in the [metro NYC] region." Indeed, our city would be wildly different without its enormous immigrant presence: "Overall, immigrants and their U.S.-born offspring account for approximately 55 percent of the city's population."

I decided to interview young NYC-based immigrants about politics, voting, and whether or not they identify as Americans.

All of the twenty-something immigrants with whom I spoke professed to being interested in this year's election, whether or not they are permitted to vote.

Eliza Faria-Santos came to the U.S. from Brazil when she was 7. "I am a permanent resident," Eliza says. "You can't vote unless you're a citizen. I applied for citizenship once, with the form I was instructed to use, only to find out that due to a minor technicality I had actually used the wrong form. It was a long, arduous process and was very upsetting."

Eliza adds, "I do identify as an American.  I wish I could vote. I was more interested in American politics when I felt closer to getting my citizenship. I'm still very interested but I'm not exactly active outside of discussions among friends."

She concludes, "I hope and think that Obama is going to win but you never know.  I thought there was no way that Bush would win the election the first time around."

Romanian-born Alex Geana says, "I am more American then Romanian and identify with being American . . . I'm a citizen and proud of it." He adds, "I also don't understand American-born nationals that don't vote and believe that their vote does not count . . . If they all voted, we would probably have a much better government. I do not understand why people don't vote, it constantly confuses me."

Geana, who supports Barack Obama for president, calls the 2008 general presidential election "vital," saying, "This election . . . will determine the future of our country." He adds, however, "We need to change more than the president. If we are to save our future and the world we must get involved in the local and state law, voting for candidates that support balance and curb insane profit-mongering corporations."

Another Obama supporter, Kumail Ali, left Pakistan to attend college in the United States when he was 18. He has a green card, but says, "I cannot vote in the US. I would love to be able to. I pay taxes, I pay social security. I consider America my home, so I find it a little marginalizing when I am not allowed a say in who gets to run it."

Brooklyn-raised, Haitian-born Steve Bossous came to the United States as a 2-year-old. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Bossous identifies as an American: "Being an immigrant does not affect my politics very much. I think growing up poor has made me appreciate what I do have and makes me support policies that help the disadvantaged, but I dont think there are many direct links for me between my political views and country of origin."

He adds that he supports Barack Obama, saying that Obama's campaign team has "done a really good job of making it seem like more than just a political campaign. They have galvanized a lot of people who haven't voted or participated in the political process before. That's gonna make them hard to stop."