Photo by tanakawho
I have heard the pro’s and con’s of immigration many times, and while proponents of each story make legitimate points, it’s common to hear from people on both sides of the aisle that immigrants must shed their historic identities and adopt the ways of their new country - assimilate and melt away, implying that we all become one and the same.
Immigrants who relocate to United States or any other country for that matter have no choice but to adapt to their new surroundings to some degree. However, integrating and creating new ways of living does not necessarily demand the melting of characteristics that make them unique. Sure, some immigrants strive to shed their differences completely, but others intend to keep them intact.
What immigrants cannot bring to their new country is the rule of law of which they previously lived by. In the U.S., laws may not be applied evenly, but immigrants and non-immigrants have to accept what they presently are. It isn’t the melting away of differences that makes America so unique; rather, it is the rights granted to individuals that help to ensure they can maintain them.