Cherie Correa

28 June 2006

Why Do Mexican Americans Assimilate at a Slower Rate than Other Hispanic Nationalities?

            While inquiring about Nicaraguan resistance to assimilation in the United States during the previous research posting, I discovered that Mexican Americans seem to resist assimilation the most, which was surprising, due to my past experiences with people of each nationality. However, what surprised me the most was that the Nicaraguans I conversed with believe that Mexican Americans are better at preserving their culture. Therefore, I started to wonder, why do Mexican Americans assimilate at a slower rate than other Hispanic nationalities?

In regard to the lack of Mexican American assimilation, I already knew a couple of reasons for this that we discussed in class, such as their proximity to their home country and their tendency to isolate themselves in Mexican American communities. I was hoping to expand my knowledge of these two reasons, and to find other reasons, but I actually found more than I was expecting to find.

            The first interesting source that discussed possible reasons for Mexican Americans’ slow assimilation states that the isolated Mexican American communities, where many Mexican immigrants live, are not only associated with immigrants who have slower rates of assimilation. According to Edward P. Lazear, they are also associated with immigrants who earn lower wages and are less educated. The suggested reason for these assertions is the American immigration policy. Instead of letting immigrants into the country based on their job skills, they are let in because of family ties (Lazear 2). These claims are intriguing, but they include more than the basic reasoning as to why Mexican Americans assimilate more slowly; the claims focus on the negative aspects associated with Mexican immigrants and their lack of assimilation.

Other previously mentioned points might also contribute to their slower rate of assimilation. Aside from living in separate communities, which allows them to speak only in their native language and continue practicing their pure, unassimilated Mexican culture, their overall lower education levels are probably related to their lower wage earning capacity (Lazear 5). This lower performance can block their advancement in the dominant culture, which would explain their lack of assimilation. If one cannot advance in American society, then blending with society is also unlikely.

            A final reason for slow assimilation that Lazear presents in his study is the language barrier that is difficult to overcome by most Mexicans. Apparently, Mexicans have the lowest English fluency rate when compared to other immigrant groups, including other Hispanic nationalities. Approximately half of Mexican immigrants are fluent in English, which is much lower than other immigrant groups. For example, non-Mexican immigrants have a fluency rate of approximately 80 percent (Lazear 3-4). Seeing as the abundance of non-English speaking Mexican immigrants is apparent, it makes sense to conclude that the language barrier is a strong reason as to why the Mexican Americans are not assimilating as quickly as others. Once again, if they cannot advance in society, which is usually the case in America when one cannot speak English, then it is no surprise that many Mexican immigrants are not assimilating.

            Other possible reasons for the Mexican Americans’ slow assimilation are discrimination and the fact that going back and forth between Mexico and the United States can be fairly simple (Smith 1). Discrimination is definitely a plausible reason when considered in conjunction with the previously listed reasons of living in separate communities, having lower education and wages, and speaking only Spanish. Discrimination could be seen as a reason for slow assimilation because it could be a result of the listed reasons. For example, if a Mexican immigrant only has the equivalent of an 8^th grade education and only makes 12,000 dollars a year, he might experience discrimination when trying to advance in society because certain types of people in the dominant culture may not want someone like him to advance in society. If the Mexican immigrants are discriminated against, then, once again, it would be difficult for them to blend or assimilate to American society.

            The issue of traveling back and forth between Mexico and the United States could also be a reason for slow assimilation because it allows the Mexican immigrants to be immersed in their culture frequently. Therefore, breaking away from their culture in order to assimilate to American culture happens at a much slower rate because they are not like other immigrant groups, in this respect. Many other immigrant groups do not have the option of making frequent trips back “home” because the trip is too expensive or difficult; “home” is too far away from the United States.

            In conclusion, there are many possible answers to the question at hand. Mexican immigrants could assimilate more slowly than other immigrant groups because they separate themselves by establishing their own communities, have lower educations and wages, are often not fluent in English, are discriminated against, and can travel back to Mexico on a frequent basis. However, it must be noted that this is not the case with all Mexican Americans; the previous answers are based on studies saying that these are the cases for most Mexican Americans. Stereotypes should still be avoided because not all Mexican Americans are perfect examples of what has been found in studies.

            Even though a few of the answers to the topic questions were issues that we discussed in class, I still learned a substantial amount of information during the search for answers. For example, I had no idea that the fluency rate for English is as low as it is for Mexican Americans. I also did not know that they have the lowest fluency rate when compared to other immigrant groups, including non-Mexican Hispanic immigrants. Also, understanding the education and low pay issues really helped me make more connections as to why they are slower to assimilate. I had not realized how serious these issues are, but now I can definitely see connections between these issues and others that may arise.

            All of the new facts that I have learned are significant and were expected, but I think there is something else that presented itself to me, which I feel is a more sensitive topic. While searching for information about reasons for slow assimilation, I could not help but notice the negative way that all of this information is presented. All of the sources I referenced discussed all of the problems that keep Mexican immigrants from assimilating. One article even went so far as claiming that assimilation could be the solution to the immigration problem. Victor Davis Hanson says, “But there is still a solution to the immigration problem: It involves supporting any practice that leads to the assimilation of legal Mexican immigrants into the American mainstream — and opposing everything that does not” (Hanson Internet).

            I found these points of view to be biased and a little disturbing because, while assimilation does have its advantages, I see no reason to encourage immigrants to abandon their culture. The reasoning behind my opinion might be linked to the premise of “celebrating differences,” but I think it is more than that. I think diversity is a wonderful thing; our differences make us interesting as individuals and as a country. Therefore, if I were to continue this line of research, I would want to investigate advantages to not assimilating or obtain personal viewpoints from immigrants who are assimilating slowly.

            I believe the most important issue I learned during this research posting is that the dominant culture’s view of assimilation is of interest to me. The “dominant culture” would be difficult to pinpoint, of course, but there is something to be said for only having one viewpoint about assimilation available. I do not think slow assimilation is always a problem to be solved.

Works Cited

Hanson, Victor Davis. “Assimilation is the Real Debate.” Victor Davis on the Web. 2006. http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson040306.html (26 June 2006).

Lazear, Edward P. “Mexican Assimilation in the United States.” Stanford University. 2005. http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2006/
0108_1015_0304.pdf (26 June 2006).

Smith, John P. “Assimilation across the Latino Generations.” http://www.econ.duke.edu/aeasp/Sloan/Education/
Smith_JP.pdf (26 June 2006).