Assimilating immigrants into the U.S.: New citizens view America differently

[Geee]

Washington Times:

Even as Congress prepares to debate whether to legalize 11 million illegal immigrants and give them a path to citizenship, analysts are cautioning lawmakers to focus on the other part of immigration: assimilating them fully into America.

All sides in the debate agree that assimilation is critical, but in a report being released Monday, the Hudson Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, says the country has failed on that account in recent years.

SEE RELATED: Schumer sees ‘Gang of Eight’ deal this week on immigration

They found that immigrants — even those who earn U.S. citizenship — have far less attachment to their new home than native-born Americans. Among the findings are that native-born citizens are more likely to view the U.S. as “better” than other countries, more likely to see English as central to the American experience, and more likely to see the U.S. Constitution as a higher legal authority than international law.

John Fonte, director of the Center for American Common Culture at the Hudson Institute, said those findings show a glaring hole in the immigration system that should be fixed if Congress is going to add millions more immigrant citizens to the country.