[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Not all those who applied to enter the U.S. were allowed in, but those that did learned to speak ENGLISH; another difference between that wave of immigrants and this one. There was no special treatment that favored the Irish or Italians (just the opposite).
Today a non-citizen receives health, education and welfare for free. There are many cases of Americans being denied medical care (because they could not afford it), but would have had they not been citizens. And, the police often look the other way, and in fact are told to look the other way in many cases when an illegal breaks a traffic law, because the processing takes all day. And, uninsured illegals mean that your insurance pays for all the damages in a traffic accident. The costs keep going up.
The early German immigrants (including their children) often became indentured servants for several years just to pay for their passage here. Of course, they came here to escape religious persecution not to milk the American system for every dime they could and send it back to Mexico. The early immigrants became a part of America and assimilated in every way.
There really is no comparison.

[MattAMiller]

The early immigrants became a part of America and assimilated in every way.

Eventually yes. But not without deliberate attempts to retain their identity. And there are still plenty of people in New York, New Jersy, and thereabouts that are easily identifiable as Italian at a glance. And many major cities still sport neighborhoods dominated by white ethnics.

Modern academics think it's uncool to assimilate but most Latinos blend in after a few generations.