People often refer to the United States of America as "a country of immigrants." During 
the last four centuries, people have traveled great distances to reach the United States to 
escape war, avoid political persecution, and find the freedom to practice their faith. Still, 
others came for the possibility of acquiring their own property or just for the prospect of 
finding a job and elevating themselves out of poverty. And immigrants continue to 
arrive. However, the lives of immigrants and refugees who have just arrived in the 
United States may be fraught with difficulty, particularly for those who have brought 
with them a limited amount of assets. The hostility many immigrants endure makes the 
linguistic, cultural, and economic challenges they confront much more difficult to 
overcome. Ironically, many Americans fear and detest newly arriving immigrants. The 
combination of cultural and language difficulties with prejudice results in many 
immigrants being stigmatized and shunned within communities that are composed 
mostly of other immigrants. 
The population of the United States born in another country now stands at 42.1 million, 
and this demographic is continuously growing.