"--smarter --wealthier --better educated " You're talking about legal immigrants, right? Because I would think it's the opposite with illegals. If you don't h

"--smarter --wealthier --better educated " You're talking about legal immigrants, right? Because I would think it's the opposite with illegals. If you don't have much education or status in Mexico, for example, you might be tempted to cross the border to the US; if you're rich and established, probably not. I spent a semester studying in Guadalajara and was shocked at the snooty attitudes of students at the private Mexican college I attended, and the Porche and Lexus dealerships nearby. Of course, a short bus ride away, I met kids who went hungry and lived in concrete houses with dirt floors. We definitely get a biased sample of the Mexican population in our immigrants, but I think it's biased away from education and money. On the other hand, if those first-generation kids are in school, it's because they WANT to be there. It's hard, and they could be making money working. Whereas the next generation may take things for granted, like the rest of us Americans. I dunno - you can explain anything after the fact, so it's hard to say what the reason is for this finding.