Opinion: American Dream, part II — who’s catching it

Last week, I wrote about how difficult it is for young people in today’s society to obtain the promise of the “American Dream.” At one time, that “dream” could become reality for many children born into working-class families that were renters, factory workers with no more than a high-school education, and a stay-at-home mom.

Over the past several decades, that expectation has changed as our culture has mutated, and I concluded the opinion piece by writing that, for many, the American Dream has become an American Nightmare. But not for Americans who have immigrated from India. This relatively new immigrant group is like the Irish or the Italians who arrived in this country generations ago. They see the opportunities, grab hold of them, and become successful and happy in their adopted country. But, unlike the Irish and Italians, they have almost instantly become industry and community leaders.

Growing population

Before the 1960s, there were relatively few Asian Indians in the United States. That was mainly due to our immigration policy which was based on the National Origins Act, a Congressional law that limited annual immigration to a percentage of people already residing in the U.S. from each country. However, in 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act removed the “national origins” clause from the existing immigration policy and gave preference to “highly educated and skilled” applicants.