America and I will study the recent immigrants of Mexican origin in the United States. To study an ethnic minority I think it is important to get insights into the basic facts and characteristics about them. Therefore, I divided my thesis into two main chapters. The first chapter is an introduction of the specific relationship of the United States of America and Mexico, and the process how the Mexicans have become the largest ethnic minority in the United States. It will provide a summary the main features and legal framework of their immigration history. The examination will only focus on Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal. The second chapter will deal with some demographic characteristics like the size of the immigrant population, it will also address issue such as the language problems and the education of immigrants of Mexican origin. Thanks to these factors we can understand how an ethnic minority can integrate or assimilate into the mainstream society and culture.