In 2013, I boarded a plane at London’s Heathrow Airport, ready for the 11-hour journey to San Francisco to begin a career in software engineering. This moment was the culmination of a yearslong goal to move to the United States.
Why? Because I wanted to live in the U.S., contribute to the U.S., and be a part of the U.S. In other words, I wanted to assimilate.
For hundreds of years, America has been a nation of immigrants, and I became one of them. From the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to the waves of newcomers who crossed oceans and continents in search of freedom, opportunity, and a better life, immigration has been central to the American story. But it’s not enough to celebrate the word “immigration” while intentionally ignoring the two pillars that keep the system itself from collapsing. Successful immigration that strengthens rather than strains, or even destroys, a country has always relied on two principles: It must be legal, and it must be paired with assimilation.
Legal immigration is the starting point because it reflects respect for the rule of law, the very foundation of a free society. When people come here legally, they affirm that they want to join the American experiment, not circumvent it. They recognize that America’s greatness stems not just from its wealth or its land or its institutions. It stems from a collective respect for the nation’s foundation and, at its core, a Constitution that limits government power, a culture that prizes individual liberty, and a legal system that strives, however imperfectly, for equal justice.
By entering through the front door, legal immigrants show they are willing to live by the rules that make America possible. By climbing over the fence, illegal immigrants are starting their own selfish American journey with an insult.
But legal immigration alone is not enough. For the American dream to thrive, newcomers must also assimilate — not by abandoning their heritage, but by embracing their new home. Assimilation is not a dirty word. It’s a gift. It is the process by which truly diverse people become one people — united not by race, religion, or bloodline, but by a shared commitment to the American ideal of freedom.
What do I mean by assimilation? Well, here’s one idea: Learn English. Language is not just a tool for communication — it’s the connective tissue of a nation. It is how we debate, understand each other’s history, and forge common bonds across diverse backgrounds. By becoming part of the conversation, immigrants assimilate, while immigrants who refuse to learn English, often enabled by coastal liberals who see no problem with the erasure of the national language, are engaging in nothing more than self-ghettoization.
But assimilation also means embracing all American values: equality under the law, freedom of speech and religion, loyalty to the Constitution, and a belief in self-reliance and personal responsibility. It doesn’t mean forgetting where you came from, but simply prioritizing where you are now. Italian Americans still celebrate their heritage. Mexican Americans honor their traditions. Indian Americans cherish their roots. But first and foremost, they are Americans — bound together by a shared identity.
When we abandon the expectation of assimilation, we don’t create a richer, more colorful society. Instead, we create division. We create isolated communities where mistrust grows and opportunity shrinks. We turn America from a melting pot — one, single American pot — into a fractured collection of self-isolated communities that are bound by nothing more than proximity. That’s not progress — it’s decline.
Legal immigration, combined with proud assimilation, is good for immigrants and for the country, uniting us by the unique American choice to believe in liberty, opportunity, and unity and to work together to build a future worthy of both our ancestors and our children.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.