It is forgotten because hardly anyone seriously discusses it, certainly not Al Gore or George Bush. It is an issue because, more than most of what they are discussing, immigration will shape America in the 21st century. Although some immigrants do well, many do not. A smaller proportion of immigrants are citizens. In 1997, about 35 percent were, down from about two-thirds in 1970.
Social statistics are drab and impersonal.
Each immigrant's story is unique and, often, intensely moving. The whole issue is a thicket of ethnic, racial, national and ethical passions. It tends to result in poor, unskilled immigrants. Poorer immigrants, he says, assimilate slowly into the larger society. They tend to cluster in ethnic ghettos.