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President Obama met with leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday during his trip to Utah. Among the topics they discussed was immigration, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.And while Mormons are heavily Republican and Obama is, well, not, they have a large amount of common ground on this issue.

The first thing to know is Obama is unpopular with Mormons. Like, reallyunpopular. A July Gallup pollfound only 18 percent approve of the job he's doing, the lowest percentage among religious groups. But the church's stance on immigration is actually more similar to Obama's than the GOP's is these days.

In November 2010, the churchcame out in favor the Utah Compact, a document about guidelines for immigration policy that emphasized keeping families together over enforcement. It came a few months after Arizona passed itscontroversial immigrationenforcement bill, SB 1070 (which just so happened to be sponsored by a Mormon, state Sen. Russell Pearce), and showed the church could turn public opinion on the issue.According toUtah Voter Poll, the percentage of Utah voters who said they favored Arizona-style immigration reform dropped from 66 percent to 57 percent by 2011.

[The lead singer of the Killers says Romney wasn't a good ambassador for Mormons. Here's why.]

The Utah Compact was even praised by theWhite House, which saidit demonstrated a red state could take a "pro-reform position without political harm."

That the church would support immigration reform isn't surprising. A majority of Mormons live outside the U.S. and Canada, and its missionaries frequently teach immigrants. In fact, a 2012 study found Mormons who served as missionaries are more likely than those who didn't to believe that immigrants "strengthen the country." Those who served missions where they spoke a language other than English are the most likely to say this.

While most Mormons aren't Obama fans, their church does have a stance on immigration that Obama can agree with. And that madeimmigration the perfect topic for church leaders to talk on with him Thursday.

Hunter Schwarz covers the intersection of politics and pop culture for the Washington Post

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President Obama met with Mormon leaders on immigration a rare issue they actually agree on

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For decades, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has been a national advocate for Latinos and immigrants, holding their hands at immigration reform rallies and pushing for legislation in Congress to expand their legal rights. But with Menendez now facing federal corruption charges, Latino groups fearthattheir tireless champion will have to turn his attention to his own problems, leaving them without a voice in Washington.

"He has consistently fought for an achievable path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, for the speedy reunification of families separated by our outdated immigration system and for the immigrants to be treated fairly in immigration proceedings," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a pro-immigrant group, in a statement releasedWednesday after the corruption charges were announced. "My fervent hope is that Sen. Menendez emerges from the current troubles stronger than ever. For he is not only the senior senator for New Jersey; he is also the senior senator for Latinos in America.

The National Council of La Raza, the nation's leading Hispanic advocacy group, also fretted about the future of the immigration reform movement without Menendez at its helm. "For millions of Latinos across the nation, Sen. Bob Menendez is more than just the senior senator from New Jersey. To the Hispanic community, Sen. Menendez has been our voice and our champion in the United States Senate," said Janet Murguia, president of the council, in a statement. "In the more than 20 years he has been in Congress, Sen. Menendez has consistently been one of the most thoughtful, constant, and eloquent advocates not only for Latinos, but for working families, consumers, and the countrys interests abroad."

Menendez, who was born in the U.S. to Cuban immigrants, faces 14counts related to public corruption and could be forced to resign if convicted.The indictment alleges that Menendez accepted nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, who also was indicted, between January 2006 and January 2013in return for using his Senate office to lobby on behalf of visa applications for Melgen's girlfriends. Menendez did not report the gifts he received from Melgen, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Menendez pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court and was released on his own recognizance. Hehas defended himself throughout the investigation. "I am not going anywhere," he said Wednesday, vowing that scandal is "not how my career will end."

Menendez is the only Latino Democrat currently in the U.S. Senate and was the first Latino to serve in the House leadership after being named chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003. For years, he has attended immigration reform rallies across the nation, vowing to overhaul the immigration laws and help millions of illegal immigrants obtain legal rights. In 2012, he joined Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the so-called "Gang of 8" to introduce legislation that would have given work visas to millions of undocumented immigrants.

The senator's ability to help immigrants was already tempered by the Republican takeover in the November midterm elections, which cost him the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee. His corruption scandal will likely only further weaken his role in the national immigration debate.

"Democrats are now in the minority in both houses, and he doesnt have quite the influence he had a year ago," saidIra Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which opposes illegal immigration. "Congress is not going to be inclined to take up any of these measures."

In January, Menendez defended immigrant rights at a rally in New Jersey and urged House Republicans to support President Barack Obama's executive actions allowing millions of undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. Its that fear that when there is a knock on the door, its 'la migra,'" he said at the time, referring to the Spanish term for immigration agents. We have to say no to fear, and yes to hope.

But by March, as reports of pending corruption charges spread, Menendez was skipping immigration rallies in his home state and fielding questions about the investigation from reporters.

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Thousands of children from Central America who have a parent in the United States may soon be reunited with them and could eventually gain U.S. citizenship. It's a plan that the Obama administration unveiled in November, but immigration advocates are just beginning to notice, the Washington Post reported Friday. The policy, separate from the presidents executive actions on immigration that are being held up due to court action, was created partly in response to the tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors who entered the U.S. to flee violence in their home countries.

The United States is establishing an in-country refugee/parole program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to provide a safe, legal, and orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that some children are currently undertaking to the United States, reads a joint November press release from the State and Homeland Security departments. This program will allow certain parents who are lawfully present in the United States to request access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for their children still in one of these three countries.

The program also allows Central American immigrants in the U.S. to bring the childs mother or father to America.

Immigration advocates said the word has just started to spread about the program, which could pave the way for benefits such as green cards and U.S. citizenship for the children, the Boston Globe reported in February. It was surprising to see how big this [program] was. The size, the significance of this is bigger than we thought, said Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

To qualify for the program, children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have to be under 21, residing in their native country, unmarried and have a parent in the United States, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The children can be considered for refugee status, which can open the door to them getting green cards and possibly U.S. citizenship. If they are denied, they can receive what is known as parole status, which allows them to come to the U.S. legally but not obtain any of the benefits of refugee status. Although the program is primarily aimed at minors, a childs other parent can be brought to the U.S. if they are part of the same household and economic unit as the qualifying child." The second parent must have been married and continue to be married to the parent in the U.S., who must file an affidavit confirming the relationship.

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Immigration Reform 2015: Central American Children May Become US Citizens Through Under-The-Radar Program