Abstract
After a short survey of immigration history to the United States prior to 1965, the author analyzes the impact of the 1965 Immigration Act. In recent years, two concepts of immigration have formed in American immigration discussion: assimilationist and that of cultural pluralism.
While the assimilationist school prefers full integration of newcomers in American society, including their cultures and languages, the cultural pluralists emphasize the preservation of cultural and linguistics specifics of the newcomers' old countries of origin. Samuel T.
Huntington's Who are we? : the challenges to America's national identity. is discussed. The American public opinion on immigration is analyzed using empirical data.
In addition, immigration legislative proposals of the first decade of the 21st century are discussed.