Immigration reform seems to have become a debate about jobs and ethnicity, but that overlooks something far more important, culture. The racial and cultural changes that immigration brings put a strain on society, but also add to the dynamic of a country founded by immigrants. However, we have the right, as Americans, to insist upon preserving our culture, for, in the words of Lincoln, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." If we do not retain our American culture, then the concept of immigration is moot, because we have lost our country.
Many criticize the demands for assimilation, but when confronted with female circumcision as a possible aspect of "multiculturalism," most realize that some assimilation is necessary. However, it is hard to draw the line in the sand, and that is why we need to define, at least in principal, which cultural values are inherently American.
Regardless of how one feels about the founding of this nation, in which slavery and warfare with the indigenous people were both tolerated or even at times celebrated, one must concede that the values born at the same time as this nation, those of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, have led to unprecedented prosperity. These values spread worldwide, ending slavery, extending freedoms and rights to people all over the world, and ultimately proving their worth as maxims for the good life. But a new tidal wave of immigrants, from countries in which human rights are not held in high regard, larger than any before it, does, in some ways, threaten to tear apart this culture.
We also face the unprecedented challenge of assimilating an ethnic group as their members continue to arrive. Reviewing the process of assimilation of one of the last great waves of immigrants, those from Southern Europe, one realizes that the assimilation into the American mainstream occurred, in large part, after the pace of Southern European immigration slowed. As new immigrants of one's ethnic background might encourage the preservation of culture, and a resistance to the culture of the new country, the slowing of the immigration process leaves the immigrant group isolated from their ancestors' homeland, and they are, essentially, forced to assimilate. This will not be the case with Hispanic immigration, as no projections suggest that this wave of immigration will slow at any point in the foreseeable future. Further, the proximity of Latin America and the reduced cost of air travel increase that likelihood that this new wave of immigrants will continue to feel more connected to their homeland than previous immigrant groups.
Thus, what we really need to discuss is culture, and how we go about preserving it. This is a complex discussion, as our task is unprecedented, but it is a discussion that must begin; it is truly the elephant in the room. Ours is a nation of immigrants, and we should not forget that. But, it is also a nation in which those immigrant groups have all become, in the end, Americans, and that also is a point of importance. If we want to continue to be Americans, and want those values which we hold dear to persist into the future, we must divine the manner in which we might assimilate a wave of immigrants as it continues to break upon our shores, or surely the values that we cherish will be swept out from under us.