At the Avanza supermarket on South Federal Boulevard, Hispanic shoppers were mostly skeptical about President Bush's visit to Mexico this week as part of his outreach to Latin American nations.

"I don't think it will help his image among Latin Americans," said Daniel Rivera of Denver.

"He started out his presidency speaking Spanish and talking about improved relations between the United States and Mexico," Rivera said. "Instead, relations have only worsened due to his persecution of undocumented Mexican immigrants and the way he has otherwise ignored Latin America overall."

Bush's tour, say Latin American experts, is in part an effort to reconnect with regions in Central and South America that have fallen off the radar screen as his administration pursued the war in Iraq and mounted its campaign against terrorism in the Middle East.

"I think there are two agendas: One is building political capital in the U.S. because it's pretty much at an all-time low," said Anna Sampaio, a political scientist at CU Denver. "The other is aid-related."

Sampaio said funding for Latin America in the last few years has been cut substantially by Congress. In her view, Bush is using the trip as an opportunity to win more aid money for the region.

"Bush came into office with a strong agenda for Latin American relations, prior to 9/11. In many ways, his foreign policy rested in his relationship with Latin America," she said.

Sampaio also sees the trip as an attempt to counteract growing anti-American sentiment that largely has been fueled by President Hugo Chavez, of Venezuela, who went on his own tour of select Latin American countries this week.

"I believe he's putting out the message: Don't turn to Hugo Chavez. Don't elect a socialist president. Yet he's done little to counteract that," she said.

Celina Prieto of Denver believes Chavez's influence on Latin Americans has been overestimated.

"Mr. Chavez, like Mr. Bush, is a politician," she said. "You don't know who to believe."

Bush is a chief proponent of an immigration policy that would establish a guest worker program and a path to citizenship - a plan critics call amnesty for lawbreakers.

Still, Prieto said she was disappointed in Bush because of the seemingly increasing number of high-profile work raids by federal immigration agents, including recent arrests in Greeley and five other Swift meatpacking plants.

"A year ago, word in the community was there would be less raids as a comprehensive immigration policy was being hashed out. Instead, we've seen more and more raids. It breaks my heart to see all those people suffering, to see all the discrimination against the undocumented people. That is what's on everyone's minds."

Lina Torres said she hopes Bush's visit with Mexican President Felipe Calderon will result in improved conditions for Mexican immigrants in the United States.

"I have faith that a face-to-face meeting between the two presidents will benefit our community," she said. "I think this will bring attention to the people who are unfortunately caught in the middle: They can't go back to their homeland because of economic conditions there, and they're not welcome here because so many have come here illegally. Hopefully, something positive will come out of this."

quinterof@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5250.