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Still, i think it is a fallacy to claim that on the whole, assiliation was uniquely quick or easy for european immigrants. Try taking a look at Bund activity in the US. That was an immigrant aid and cultural preservation group for Germans active right up until 1942. Or look at employment discrimination faced by the Irish until after the civil war. Or look at how long people held on to anti-slavic and southern european sentiments after they finally got used to the Irish. They didn't just "pick up English" either...the numbers of illiterate workers in the nation was astounding...mainly becuase they didn't need to know the language to work here. Now, with a more service oriented economy, language deficiencies are more noticable, since we interact with forgien populations more. Segregated ethnic neighborhoods still exist, but the all immigrant factory is only part of the employment picture. It's a visibility issue...not a new trend towards slower language aquisition. Nor is the government by any means bending over backwards. IIRARA and ADEPA, passed in '96 erffectively made it much easier to deport felon immigrants, released the INS from federal court supervision, and cut the availability of asylum and refugee resettlement. Visa officers in forgien countries are paid for how many applications they deny. Who's bending over for who?
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