The political assimilation of Mexican immigrants in the American Southwest

Abstract

This project examines the phenomenon through which those with the national identities and values of one nation come to adopt those of another. More specifically, it examines the changes in national identity, ethnic identity and political values that immigrants to the United States have undergone to blend them into the national fabric and asks why other nations have not enjoyed similar degrees of success in absorbing new peoples. Using a sample of first-generation Mexican immigrants to West Texas, the study proceeds to develop a typology of assimilation that distinguishes its cultural, social, economic and political dimensions. The core and secondary elements of political assimilation are also identified. The findings indicate that Mexican immigrants are politically adjusting well to their new national environment and that economic factors are primarily responsible for these changes.