Abstract (eng)
Immigration as such has for a long time been an important topic in the politics and public discourse of the United States – since the beginning of the 19th century, immigrants, particularly from Europe, have regarded Northern America as the place to fulfil their hopes and dreams of a better life. Additionally to these well-documented European migrants, though, a great number of people have arrived from South America, particularly from Mexico – a result of a shared history with the States and proximity to the border. According to data of the census 2010, about 16% of the total population of the United States identified as Hispanics with a Mexican proportion of 63%. Due to both persisting immigration as well as high birth rates, this part of the population is continuously growing and will therefore, in the future, exert influence on all aspects of North American life. This present thesis is therefore concerned with the assimilation processes of Mexican immigrants to the United States with the main areas of interest being the following: In how far do Mexican immigrants adapt to norms and traditions of the United States and in how far do they keep their own customs and conventions; do Mexicans experience discrimination and segregation and if so, in which areas of life; which attitude do they express towards naturalisation and US-citizenship and finally, based on the answers given to these questions, can it be concluded that the Mexican immigrants eventually regard the United States as their new home?