The United States remains a magnet for those fleeing turmoil and persecution and others simply seeking a better life. VOA reporters will probe a wide range of topics from immigration trends over the centuries to the economic and social experiences of immigrants who have adopted this country as their own. The impact of immigration on the United States, the question of assimilation, and the effect of 9/11 on immigration will also be among the topics discussed.

As a complement to the series, VOA will profile new ethnic communities in the United States and highlight the experiences of specific immigrant groups throughout the country. Among the groups featured are the Kurdish community in Tennessee, the Bosnians in Iowa, the Hmong in Minnesota, the Indians in New Jersey, the Somalis in Maine, and the Cambodians in Massachusetts. Kansas City will serve as an example of a non-traditional, 21st century destination, with a large and diverse immigrant population.

The series will be broadcast worldwide in English and other VOA languages and will be available on radio, television, and the Internet at www.VOANews.com.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs are produced in 44 languages, including English.

For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 401-7000, or E-Mail publicaffairs@voa.gov.