But bucking perceptions that high levels of immigration are jeopardizing national cohesion, the data showed that today's immigrants, like those before them, are embracing an American identity. In Los Angeles County, for instance, the proportion of native Spanish speakers fluent in English increased to 51.4% in 2007 from 44.6% in 2000. The share of naturalized citizens among the foreign-born grew to 43.3% from 38% over that time.

“Every major study shows that immigrants from whatever country are integrating into our society at the same level and degree as prior immigrants,” said Antonia Hernandez, president of the Los Angeles-based California Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that recently launched an initiative to help immigrants adapt here.
The California Community Foundation, for instance, has commissioned two major studies on the topic and is kicking off an initiative to expand access to English-language classes, help professional immigrants gain U.S. certification for their skills and promote immigrant parental involvement in their children’s education, Hernandez said.

U.S. census survey finds more of California’s immigrants are joining the mainstream – Los Angeles Times.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 27th, 2008 at 12:34 pm and is filed under Civic Engagement, Community Development, Community Foundations, Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.