In this working paper, Joel Perlmann, Levy Institute Research Professor of History at Bard College, examines whether today's Mexican immigrants will be as successful as past immigrants in "catching up" with the native American population. According to the report, Mexicans comprise the largest immigrant group in this country and are the prime example of a migrant group entering American society at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder due to lack of high educational credentials and other economic advantages. As a result, Perlmann finds that, based upon the wage ratios revealed in a previous research paper by Christopher Jencks of Harvard University, it would be difficult for today's Mexican immigrants to advance to the socioeconomic status of the native American population.
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