Does America Try to Assimilate Immigrants?

In terms of assimilating into an adopted country, immigrants and members of ethnic groups are expected to resemble the majority group in terms of norms, values and behavior. As a result of assimilation, ethnic characteristics of the minority can disappear.

The general assumption is guided by a well-founded belief: “To advance socially and economically in the United States, immigrants try to ‘become American’ in order to overcome their deficits in the new language and culture,” according to the National Academies of Science and Engineering on Statistics on U.S. Immigration.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the total immigration population has swelled in recent years, with the majority coming from Mexico, in addition to a surge in newcomers from India and China. But is this influx of Asian and Latin American immigrants to the United States assimilating because they choose to? Or because they are forced to?

Former governor of Florida Jeb Bush had much to say about why America should not be a multicultural society. When asked how he thought immigrants could best “become Americans,” without hesitation he responded, “We should not have a multicultural society. America is so much better than every other country because of the values that people share — it defines our national identity. Not race or ethnicity, not where you come from. When you create pockets of isolation — and in some cases the assimilation process is…slowed down — it’s wrong. It limits people’s aspirations.”

Although the United States has always been a multicultural society, one where “people from many distinct ethnic backgrounds have come together and form a society as a whole,” according to A.B Wilkinson writing in the “Huffington Post,” it is possible that words such as these further insinuate the idea that everyone can find acceptance if they assimilate into mainstream American culture.

Many people from distinct ethnic backgrounds — not just immigrants — do not believe they have to fully assimilate in order to become “American,” let alone succeed in America.

A SFHS sophomore who wishes to remain anonymous says that he is “as Mexican as you can get” despite being born in Santa Fe. A son of Mexican immigrants, he still speaks Spanish regularly and states it is important for his family to preserve their tongue — an idea shared by many ethnic groups. Not only does this provide more linguistic information, but also a sense of “cultural identity,” he says.

Besides providing him with some sort of cultural anchor, he also mentions that Spanish has in no way lessened his success in high school. “I have assimilated, and it’s safe to say that it’s kind of necessary given that we are in a different country. But not as far as what I truly value, though.”

By contrast, another SFHS sophomore who chose to remain anonymous said that although Spanish is still spoken by both his parents, including himself, he feels he has “fully adjusted to [his] new lifestyle on every level.” He would also go so far as to say, “I don’t feel as Mexican.”

Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam, conservative thinkers as well as journalists for the “New York Times,” have had much to say concerning immigrant assimilation.

Their concerns go past the present day, indicating that immigrant assimilation is progressing in the United States. One of the most thorough works is the book “The Integration of Immigrants into American Society,” published in association with the National Academy of Sciences, which highlights the process of “ethnic attrition.” This occurs “when the descendants of immigrants from a particular country” — in this case Mexico — “cease to identify as Mexicans, Hispanic, or Latino, despite their ethnic background.”

This often occurs as a result of intermarriages between spouses of different ethnic groups. And, polls show that assimilation is greatly increased in second and third generations.

But not all immigrants experience “cultural attrition.” An example is Santa Fe High student Anish Bhat. Anish, now a two-year resident of the United States, grew up in India. He had much to say about values he has kept.

“We still worship all of our gods, and we still celebrate the festivals,” he said. “We make sure to always speak our language so we never forget. And we still eat Indian food,” which he made sure to mention is much spicier than New Mexican food. He said he feels he has kept all his traditional values and has not quite assimilated into this country.

It seems inevitable that today’s youth will keep assimilating, whatever the cause may be, by living in a society that has evolved to define Americans by their shared values, not by their appearance or country of origin.

“It’s so important that we welcome immigrants here, but that’s just the first half,” Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach told Fox News in September.

“You have to make people become more American, and that’s something we should not be ashamed of,” Kobach continued. “Schools can become the crucible of assimilation that they used to be in the past, but they’re not anymore.”

Years ago, schools were indeed those “crucibles” of assimilation. For example, programs instituted in the late 19th century removed Native American children from their homes to reduce the influence of their tribes and instead make them “patriotic” and “productive citizens.” According to the American Indian Relief Council, this is why reservation boarding schools and day schools were introduced.

But today, schools have shifted. By design, immigrant minorities often attend classes together and are offered classes in their native tongue. This allows them to maintain their own values and language rather than the philosophy of “immersion” that used to require them to fully integrate into the greater student body, and thereby builds diversity.

According to Caleb Rosado from the Department of Urban Studies, managing diversity is a “on-going process that unleashes the various talents and capabilities which a diverse population bring to an organization, community or society, so as to create a wholesome, inclusive environment that is safe for differences.”

When walking the halls of a modern American high school, it is hard to detect any trace of the divisions that once seemed fixtures in American society. Instead one might encounter a Hispanic boy wearing his Mexican flag T-shirt walking hand in hand with a red-headed girl.

And considering it is now the 21st century, Kobach’s words speak the truth: Schools are no longer the crucible of assimilation that they used to be. With many Americans now looking past the traditional melting pot theory, a new view has been born, that of a diverse “cultural stew.”