Dimensions of the New Immigration to the United States and the Prospects for Assimilation

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the substantial increase in migration to the United States that has occurred over the past two decades. The author draws on research from a variety of disciplines in order to describe who these immigrants are and how they are faring. He covers both legal and illegal immigration and presents estimates of a total of 8 million immigrants (excluding Puerto Ricans) for the decade of the 1970s. Various characteristics of migrants are discussed, including family behavior, fertility, residential segregation, intermarriage, and social mobility.