Although immigrants today are more assimilated into American culture than previous generations, they could still be more integrated. And contrary to what many on the Left argue, assimilation benefits not only immigrants but also the native-born by boosting job prospects, personal satisfaction, and social cohesion.
Many believe those who immigrated to Ellis Island were poor, illiterate Europeans who against all odds succeeded. But the Ellis Island narrative is misleading. While early 20th-century immigrants were poor by today’s standards, they were positively selected relative to their home countries — often better educated, healthier, and taller. That’s partly because coming to America was expensive, so the very poorest didn’t make the cut. Once here, there were no federal welfare programs before the New Deal. Immigrants who couldn’t make it simply went home. Those who stayed did so because they succeeded.
