This has been my experience. Immigrant comes and speaks mother tongue, learns some English. Children are bilingual and mother tongue is spoken at home and when the parents don't understand the English. Children's children are brought up in English and don't learn their grandparent's mother tongue. Hence three generations. (Read Amy Tan or rent the video)
First generation often thinks it is here only temporarily. Longs to go back to the Old Country. Third generation could care less.