Integration

America has a long history of welcoming new immigrants into our country. The idea of American liberty is exciting to new immigrants who want to be part of the American dream and contribute economically and socially to their communities. Immigrant integration is a two way process. Both the immigrant and American society need to work together with intentional efforts to ensure everyone who comes to this country fully integrates and is able to reap the rewards.

Different groups view integration a bit differently. Some groups emphasize a "mutual adaption" of both the immigrant and America where diversity and integration are emphasized. This idea is contrasted with the idea of assimilation which emphasizes homogeneity.

Concerns have risen from some experts about the refusal of some immigrants to assimilate, which can create pockets or areas of people groups with differing cultural, political, social and religious ideologies which may conflict with traditional American values.

While America has traditionally done a good job of helping to integrate specific people groups, European states have not. In Europe there are real concerns that some groups of people have not assimilated and instead have carved out a foothold in some parts of towns and through intimidation or outright violence, have pushed other people, whose secular values are no longer acceptable, out of the area.

According to Soeren Kern, these dangerous enclaves in European cities are "the byproduct of decades of multicultural policies that have encouraged specific immigrants to create parallel societies and remain segregated rather than become integrated into their European host nations." By studying European policies of integration, America should learn integration into the American system is critical for the continued success of our great country.