The Buzz Log What’s hot on Yahoo! Buzz™ (and why)...

Immigration is no simple issue. The variety and number of searches we're seeing around the topic tell us that people are looking for answers and up-to-the-minute news about this hot-button issue. While the U.S. Congress debates different versions of immigration reform bills, searches for "immigration" jumped 64% this week, landing in the top 500 daily searches. "Immigration reform" was also popular, rising 114% into the top 3,500 searches. Related searches heating up include "illegal immigration," "immigration debate," "immigration bill," and "latest immigration news."

We also see an increase in searches for "immigration protests," reflecting heavy news coverage of tens of thousands of protestors in most of the country's largest cities, where many searches on the term originated. The main spark for the demonstrations seems to be the House-approved immigration bill HR4437. The pending legislation would make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant (versus a misdemeanor) and make aiding illegal immigrants a crime — a potential move that galvanized children of immigrant parents and religious organizations and charities across the U.S.

Immigration affects the whole country, but some areas feel the impact of immigration laws more than others. So there's no surprise that the most searches for "immigration" came from Los Angeles, West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, New York, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, and Houston metros. As crowds protest and Congress yammers, this complex issue will continue to inspire searches.