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Immigration History of South Koreans to U.S. Society

350,000 to 1.8 million (Robey, 1985).

The sheer numbers of Asian immigrants, including Korean, has been described as something of a surprise. This fact is noted by Robey, who cites a 1965 statement by Representative Emanuel Celler of New York, who favored passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. He asserted that there would "`not be, comparatively, many Asians or Africans entering this country' . . . . He had no way of knowing how wrong he would be. . . . Among Korean Americans, 68 percent are post-1970 immigrants; and 41 percent of Asian Indians in the United STates arrived here after 1970" (Robey, 1985, p. 128). Between 1965 and 1981, annual Korean immigration increased by a factor of more than 14, from 2,200 to 32,700 (Robey, 1985).

Some commentators have noted a difference between the demographic characteristics of immigrants coming to the U.S. before and after the Immigration Act of 1965. According to Pearlstone (1990), there is more evidence of better-educated and middle-class immigrants from Asia before 1965 and consequently a greater tendency to acculturation. By contrast, Pearlstone explains:

«IP5,5»Later arrivals, particularly the refugees who have little education and low incomes, have had a more difficult time adjusting. Refugee children are often homeless and turn to crime, drugs and gangs through their alienation. "For many of these children," writes a reporter for the Los Angeles «MDUL»Times«MDNM», America is not so much a new start as it is a continuation of their rootlessness (Pearlstone, 1990, p. 69).

«IP0,0»Despite this demographic trend among the Asian immigrant pool, two additional facts must be noted. One is that South Koreans as a group do not necessarily fit the refugee pattern. The second is that, compared to immigrants from Latin America in the current period and from Europe in previous generations, Asian immigrants in general and Korean immigrants in particular do not fit the pattern of «MDUL...

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Immigration History of South Koreans to U.S. Society. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:27, March 19, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684116.html