Roger Waldinger on Immigrant Assimilation

Second-Generation Mexicans: Getting Ahead or Falling Behind?

By Roger Waldinger and Renee Reichl
University of California Los Angeles

March 1, 2006

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which eliminated nationality-based quotas, opened the United States to a new wave of immigration from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Compared to circumstances in their home countries, the United States has offered most new arrivals a chance to do well. In the long run, however, the fate of immigrants may not be the central issue.

More important are the prospects for integration and social and economic mobility on the part of their children, also known as the second generation. Their small but growing numbers have placed them in the research spotlight: Who are they? How well are they doing in school? What is their attachment to the workforce? Are they becoming economically self-sufficient? Are they getting ahead or falling behind in America? The answers to these questions have consequences for both education and employment-related policies.

For more, see http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=382

KJ