Economy

For Immigrants, the 'Melting Pot' Is a Mixed Bag

An extensive new report looks at the positive and negative outcomes of assimilation.
Immigrants protest budget cuts for English language training programs in New York.AP Photo

Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush recently remarked that the U.S. was headed towards “multiculturalism.” Such a society, where immigrants are isolated from the native population, prevents newcomers from assimilating into American culture—to their detriment, says Bush. Via The Huffington Post:

Bush’s claims are only partly correct. A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds that today’s immigrants are assimilating at the same rate as they have in the past, and that integration does improve their lives in some ways—though not all. Here’s how a news release about the report summarizes its findings: