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Are we still apply the sorts of social and governmental pressure to new immigrants that was applied to Irish and Italians? White nativists unable to distinguish between may have never seen them in their native habitats.
Once you're sufficiently familiar with the peoples of Europe in their native lands it's easier to distinguish among them.
What pressure are you referring to? And what do you mean by "native" here? Rich old money families descended from Mayflower passengers aside, my point is that the great-grandchildren of Italian immigrants from the late 1800s are not pretty much completely indistinguishable from the grandchildren of Polish immigrants in the 1920s or from the great great grandchildren of a German immigrant from 1850 or from the 5x great grandchildren of English immigrants from the 1700s.
Social pressure to speak English, be more "american", anglicize, their name, be productive, follow the existing mores, etc.
Government pressure to detect, infiltrate and disrupt their criminal networks, ensure the state is not losing revenue to tax fraud, welfare fraud, etc. Inspection prior to admission for signs of contagious disease, poor physique, feeblemindedness or insanity, criminal records or signs of low moral character.
Absent intermarriage or other dilution of their ethnic heritage, why wouldn't you be able to distinguish Italians, Poles and Germans? It's something that many people in Europe are able to do routinely with better than chance outcomes.
Native in the place of origin sense.
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