By Maria L. La Ganga

February 1, 2012, 12:35 p.m.

As the only Republican candidate for president to address Nevada's oldest Latino political organization Wednesday morning, Rep. Ron Paul got high marks for bravery. All were invited; only he showed up.

He was cheered by members of Hispanics in Politics when he talked about bringing American troops home from "wars we shouldn't be involved in."  The audience -- dozens of politically active Latinos who gathered in an eastside community center --  applauded Paul the civil libertarian when he slammed drug laws that unfairly target minorities.  They even cheered his defense of the gold standard.

Immigration, however, was another story.

The 12-term Texas congressman spent the better part of a 25-minute address thinking aloud about the thorny subject. He talked about how Americans are more accepting of outsiders when the economy is good, but when trouble looms there is a search for scapegoats.