You could also argue it didn't "work", depending on your definition of working. America had ghettos for decades and they were a source of crime and other problems. To the extent that it worked is only because over time immigrants were forced to assimilate (learn English or die), and make no mistake that assimilation went both ways and permanently changed the protestant English culture of America. "And here's why that's a good thing..."
Those immigrants were also irrevocably removed from their homelands. They couldn't go back twice in a lifetime, much less twice a year. They couldn't send all their money home (at least I don't see how, and they probably couldn't afford to). They couldn't just save up to retire back there when they don't need a job any more. So that's part of your assimilation.
And you know do or do not get into the whole "white" thing. I don't see any problems with European immigrants, still. You get a little crime and corruption from the Eastern Europeans, but some of that is Jewish. Actual Poles and Ukrainians and Russians seem fine to me. And the US had a preference for Western European immigrants which made sense too. Today, I say cut it all off, because if we invite Europeans we'll get "Europeans".
You could also argue it didn't "work", depending on your definition of working. America had ghettos for decades and they were a source of crime and other problems. To the extent that it worked is only because over time immigrants were forced to assimilate (learn English or die), and make no mistake that assimilation went both ways and permanently changed the protestant English culture of America. "And here's why that's a good thing..."
Those immigrants were also irrevocably removed from their homelands. They couldn't go back twice in a lifetime, much less twice a year. They couldn't send all their money home (at least I don't see how, and they probably couldn't afford to). They couldn't just save up to retire back there when they don't need a job any more. So that's part of your assimilation.
And you know do or do not get into the whole "white" thing. I don't see any problems with European immigrants, still. You get a little crime and corruption from the Eastern Europeans, but some of that is Jewish. Actual Poles and Ukrainians and Russians seem fine to me. And the US had a preference for Western European immigrants which made sense too. Today, I say cut it all off, because if we invite Europeans we'll get "Europeans".