Hispanic Nation; Hispanics are an immigrant group like no other. Their huge numbers are challenging old assumptions about assimilation. Is America ready?

Latinos, America's new demographic bulge, are 39 million strong, including some 8 million illegal immigrants - bilingual, bicultural, mostly younger Hispanics who will drive growth in the US population and workforce as far out as statisticians can project. The US has never faced demographic change quite like this before. What's not yet clear is whether Hispanic social cohesion will be so strong as to actually challenge the idea of the American melting pot. Hispanics today may have more choice than other immigrant groups to remain within their culture. It's still possible that Latino children will follow the path of so many other immigrants and move into non-Hispanic neighborhoods. If they do, they, or at least their children, will likely all but abandon Spanish, gradually marry non-Hispanics, and meld into the mainstream. But many researchers and academics say that's not likely for many Hispanics.