Modern immigrants succeed just like those of Ellis Island era; the main key is living in places with lots of opportunity

The U.S. has seen two major immigration waves since the Civil War. "The first came from Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s: the Ellis Island era. The second, which continues today, started in 1965 with sweeping changes in immigration law that welcomed people from around the globe, particularly Latin America and Asia," Andrew Van Dam reports for The Washington Post. "In American mythology, the (largely White) huddled masses of the Ellis Island era teemed to our shores, tamed the prairies, powered the Industrial Revolution and became the heroes of the American success story. Today’s (largely non-White) immigrants are portrayed somewhat less charitably, often as people who came without marketable skills, looking for a handout."

But that's not true, according to years of research and analysis of detailed census records. "Thousands of genealogists, toiling anonymously, have shattered that myth and upended our perception of American immigrants," Van Dam reports. "No spoilers, but the data shows that the current wave of immigrants is succeeding and assimilating at virtually the same rate as immigrants did a century ago."

In fact, the children of immigrants have been more likely to climb the economic ladder than native-born Americans, both in the Ellis Island era and now, Van Dam reports. Researchers have determined that the biggest factor was geographic mobility. 

"Immigrant kids tended to outperform their peers from similar economic backgrounds because, unencumbered by deep hometown roots, their parents were willing to move to where the jobs were," Van Dam reports. "If you compare immigrants to similar native kids born in the same place, they succeed at similar rates. It’s just that immigrant kids are much more likely to have grown up in one of those high-opportunity places."