The experiences of Puerto Rican migrants in New York City and elsewhere are unique when compared to those of other minority groups. The Puerto Ricans, in general, are disinclined to assimilate into the dominant American culture, and this phenomenon is closely connected to Puerto Rico's political and economic relationship to the United States. Because its political status is a colonial one, Puerto Rico's inhabitants can migrate easily (relative to immigrant groups) to the United States. This ease of movement, however, encourages their lack of assimilation, and many who come to the United States in search of jobs eventually return to Puerto Rico. The Puerto Ricans who came to the United States in the 1950s, for example, found jobs in sectors that had the lowest wages and fewest opportunities for advancement and that soon experienced the greatest loss of jobs as the economy began to contract (because of automation, exclusionary union practices and other factors). Thus, this group was encouraged to leave the work force, to seek public assistance, and to return to Puerto Rico. Further research is needed to understand the impact, if any, of Puerto Ricans' high rate of intermarriage and female-headed households on the community's assimilation. The community will inevitably change but its social and economic ghettoization is likely to persist for a long time. A four-page list of references concludes the document. (KH)