Homeownership is perhaps the most visible and durable sign that immigrants have set down roots in the United States. There is no greater symbol of stability, permanence, and faith in the future. Immigrants are making significant strides toward homeownership. Within twenty years of arrival in the U.S., six out of ten immigrants lived in owner-occupied housing in 1990. Within ten years of arriving in the U.S., more than three out of four immigrants spoke English well or very well in 1990.
Immigrants are much better prepared in English than is commonly thought.
Taking a look at the second and third generations, virtually all children of immigrants spoke English proficiently. In most cases, the native language of immigrants is completely lost after a few generations in the United States. The idea of non-English speaking clusters remaining over generations is simply untrue. Intermarried couples and their children are living testaments to the fundamental tolerance underpinning a multi-ethnic society. Clearly, intermarriage illustrates the extent to which ethnicity no longer serves to separate one American from another.