It makes me laugh when people talk about “We only spoke English at home after immigrating here”. I know many Europeans were discriminated against when they moved here, but it’s not even like there was an official ban on learning their languages and customs like there was in so many other countries. Even in those countries, people found ways to maintain their culture in secret. Nobody stripped them from their families and forced them to grow up in Anglo communities with no exposure to their origins.
My girlfriend is Japanese/Chinese and grew up in Indonesia until college. When her great-grandparents immigrated to Indonesia, they were forced to assimilate into Indonesian culture. They had to legally change their names, only speak Indonesian in public, and follow only Indonesian customs in public.
At home was a different story though, they did whatever they wanted outside of the public eye.
These days they have a good mix of cultures IMO. Day to day they speak Indonesian, make Indonesian food, take pride in Indonesian culture etc. but also continue Japanese/Chinese customs, cooking, and festivals equally. They’re not fluent in their original languages, but they know enough to get by.
I know that’s not unique to them; that’s pretty much the same story with almost every Asian/African/Latino immigrant I know. For European immigrants in the US though, it’s the exact opposite.
