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Originally Posted by Razor
I would offer that perhaps this is part of the assimilation problem overall. Not to say that yesteryear's immigrants didn't form into enclaves of like race/culture/country of origin, but how many of today's immigrants go so far as to change their surname (i.e. LeBlanc to White, Ouelette to Willette) to appear more 'American'? How many immigrant families forbid the use of the mother tongue in their homes, and insist on using only English in hopes to learn their new country's language sooner? How many of today's immigrants absolute insist on their children attaining as much education as possible in an effort to place them into mainstream American society? In my opinion (supported by facts or not), today's immigrant overall appears to be less interested in assimilation, and more interested in being a more successful <insert country of origin moniker here> with a far better standard of living than they could have back home.
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Based on my own experience this depends on timing (I can't think of a better term). When we first arrived in the States in 1975 as refugees, there were few others like us in the area besides family, since we didn't settle where the majority of refugees settled (SoCal and Houston). Assimilation was not an option, it was the only choice. Steve is not the name on my birth certificate (I loved watching the
Six Million Dollar Man 
). As folks became assimilated and established communities, they reached the critical mass for the "infrastructure that keeps refugees from assimilating." Today I see new immigrants from my country who don't have to assimilate because they can live and work in the enclaves. I guess I don't really blame them, it's tougher to assimilate as an adult, I was a kid who went right into first grade here.