Assimilation in a new geography

The foregoing chapters have clearly documented the remarkable transformation of immigration to the United States that began during the 1990s and continued into the early years of the twenty-first century. During this time, immigration shifted from being a regional phenomenon affecting a handful of states and a few metropolitan areas to a national phenomenon affecting communities of all sizes throughout all fifty states. Although this geographic diversification of destinations was experienced by all immigrant groups, it was most evident among Mexicans and, to a lesser extent, other Latin Americans. Among major immigrant groups, the diversification of destination was least evident for Asians. As a result of this unprecedented geographic transformation, millions of native white and black Americans found themselves directly exposed to the Spanish language and to Latin American culture for the very first time.