ST. PAUL -- The issue that helped cement John McCain's vaunted status as a Republican maverick was all but ignored at the GOP convention: immigration.

Even as Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, showcased as one of the GOP's American Dream success stories, took the stage Thursday night, immigration rated a peep.

''We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendants arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers,'' McCain said in his acceptance speech. ``We're all God's children and we're all Americans.''

There was a brief mention Tuesday night when Sen. Joe Lieberman, a lapsed Democrat, took the stage to sell McCain to swing voters.

''If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system . . .'' Lieberman said.

McCAIN'S SHIFT

Advocates for a sweeping immigration reform package say the low profile was expected: McCain did lead the effort to revamp immigration laws, they say, but shifted to a border-security-first stance after his support for the legislation threatened to derail his candidacy during the GOP primaries.

''If he voiced support at the convention, I suspect he would be booed,'' said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, an advocacy group that supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Sharry said the Republican platform appears to have been authored by party hard-liners who opposed the legislation and nearly sank McCain's chances at securing the nomination.

''It's enforcement, enforcement and more enforcement,'' Sharry said.

Republicans maintain that immigration has been eclipsed by concerns over gas prices and the economy.

''It was very pressing last year. Right now that's not one of the issues that's driving the American electorate,'' former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday.

NO TO `AMNESTY'

During the primaries, he and other McCain rivals all but sought to top each other in decrying legal status for undocumented workers as ''amnesty.'' But McCain, who has aggressively courted Hispanic voters, has appeared before several leading Hispanic organizations since he clinched the primary, vowing to pursue immigration reform.

''It's as if he gets to say what he wants on the campaign trail. The grass-roots got the language in the platform, and they've agreed it won't come up on the floor,'' Sharry said.

Recent polls suggest Democrat Barack Obama has opened a wide lead over McCain among Hispanics, who backed President Bush in 2004 with record numbers and could play a significant role in battleground states like Florida, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.

''John McCain's been a hero, but increasingly his party has gone hard right on immigration, and it may cost him the presidency,'' Sharry said.

McCain's Hispanic supporters, though, say Hispanic voters know where McCain stands, and they're confident he continues to back a path to legalization. His running mate Sarah Palin's stance on immigration is largely unknown.

''There's a lot to be proud of with Sen. McCain and Hispanic issues,'' said Miami Republican Rep. David Rivera. ``His record on immigration has always been one of inclusion.''

BROADER INTERESTS

Outgoing Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio said Hispanic voters have broader interests -- including healthcare and family values.

''My concern for the party is not that it talk about immigration reform at its convention, but that the rhetoric that immigrants aren't welcome not have a home in the Republican Party,'' he said.

In an interview before his speech Thursday, Martinez defended McCain's advocacy for border control, saying he hadn't shifted positions.

'He was acknowledging reality, which was, `Hey, we're not going to get this done if we don't secure the border first,' '' said Martinez, who championed McCain's legislation.

Martinez, a Cuban native whose speech centered on McCain's national defense credentials, noted that Democrats at their convention last week didn't put a priority on immigration reform either.

''I don't know that either one of these candidates, if they get elected president, will immediately embark upon immigration reform,'' Martinez said.

``It's become kind of like Social Security. Nobody wants to touch it. It's such a politically difficult and divisive issue.''

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