You could be right (about me being naive) and it could be a cause for a concern even if it doesn't seem like much than xenophobia to me right now. As a guy who's studied Russian and German and is trying to learn Thai in a half-ass way (due to having Thai inlaws)-- I'm much more interested than I am threatened by people from cultures other than my own.
Re: the scale being much greater now than it was with past waves of immigration, is that in just in terms of numbers or also in terms of % of our population?
Im not xenophibic at all! I love learning about and experiencing different cultures and the world.
There are several key reasons why the current immigration wave is different than previous ones, and all the factors compound each other; first the current mass wave has been going continuously for decades, with no immigration moratoriums at all to allow for assimilation, as was done in the past. They just keep pouring in endlessly, in unprecedently huge numbers (30-40million in the last 20 or so years?)
Second, for most of american history the immigrants came legally, AND WERE PROCESSED. We knew more or less who was coming in, and they were checked for diseases. Now, we have no idea who is coming in, whether they are criminals or not, or what they are bringing with them, healthwise or weapons wise. Millions of people just cross our borders and disappear into our communities.
Third, previously there was no welfare state, safety net, or special treatment at all. Immigrants had to assimilate into society, and sink or swim on their own. Those who made it stayed, and those who didnt were not supported in perpetuity by society-they went back home. Nowdays, they come FOR the freebies and special treatment; all they have to do is get here, and they know the taxpayers will provide for all their needs. This is a drastically different motivation for coming and does not facilitate becoming productive members of society nor does it facilitate assimilation.
Lastly, a critical and little known fact is that prior to the 1964, 90% of immigrants were europeans, people with similar cultures and ideologies. Since 1964, 90% of our immigrants have come from the third world. Our core european population, which founded and built this nation and turned it into a place where everyone on earth wants to come, is declining, and being replaced by immigrants and cultures who have come from failed nations...its not hard to see where this will lead.