Mexico's violent drug war may be pushing Mexican immigrants and
their families to put down deep roots in the United States more
quickly and firmly than ever. For generations, immigrants have
dreamed of going back to Mexico to enjoy the fruits of their
U.S. labors. Today, fear of violence is keeping more people
focused on their futures north of the border and changing
longtime patterns of assimilation and migration. We generally
think of integration as an affirmative process by which
immigrants are absorbed into a new country through a combination
of hazing and courtship. But negative forces in their original
homelands can also play a powerful role in shaping newcomers'
and their children's attitudes and behavior. It wouldn't be the
first time events in Mexico have had a powerful effect on
immigrants living north of the border. In the early 20th
century, fears that the Mexican revolution would create chaos
throughout the Southwest led to heightened discrimination
against ethnic Mexicans here. During the Depres