Sonia Sotomayor may call herself a "Latina," but she was born in New York, the child of Puerto Ricans, which means that she's not really an immigrant. Still, one reason Obama nominated her may be that he knows he's not going to be able to pass amnesty:

Court pick seen as tied to immigration issue |

Washington Examiner By: Susan Ferrechio Chief Congressional Correspondent 05/27/09 10:05 PM EDT

Democrats on Capitol Hill know that passing an immigration reform bill this year is unlikely now that they are already bogged down with energy and health care reform, two of President Barack Obama’s top agenda items.

But Obama may have thrown the Democratic leadership a lifeline to Hispanic voters with the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

The daughter of Puerto Ricans, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic on the bench if confirmed by the Senate, and some see her nomination as a strategic move by Obama to placate those who believed that immigration reform would happen this year.

”It buys him some time,” said University of Maryland political scientist Jim Gimpel, who studies immigration policy and politics. ”He can say that this is an important step,” in promoting the needs of the Hispanic community.[More]

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus says they're still going to agitate for amnesty, though.