A new report out yesterday reinforces the belief that America, in particular the Philadelphia region, remains a destination point for those looking to make a new start in America.

According to a Brookings Institution report based on U.S. Census Bureau numbers, the foreign population in Delaware County in 2006 was 42,847. That’s an increase of 59 percent from 1970, when there were just 26,923. The numbers jumped by more than 6,000 just since 2000, when 36,635 foreign-born residents were listed in the county.

Ironically, among those seeking a new life in Delaware County was Hoa Pham. He left behind the turmoil in his native South Vietnam, including his honorable service in the South Vietnamese Army when he fought beside American troops, and seven years as a POW in North Vietnam, to start over in America.

He landed in Upper Darby 17 years ago, where he eventually relocated his family.

Pham’s version of the American Dream ended nightmarishly Monday night, when an unknown intruder invaded his home, beat, tortured and terrorized him and his wife, and then left him to die.

A manhunt is now on for his killer. A $5,000 reward has been posted for information in the case.

Maybe as much as anyplace in the county, Upper Darby increasingly is becoming a melting pot of diversity.

Pham was part of a vibrant Vietnamese community and active in St. Alice’s Church, directly across the street from his home.

Members of the Vietnamese community, along with family and friends, will gather there Saturday morning to bury Pham.

But they will not bury the dream that Pham sought out in Upper Darby.

No matter how heinous the individual responsible for this horrific crime, people will continue to come here seeking a new start, a new life, a new opportunity.

Pham’s legacy is that all people are welcome here, and all things are possible.

A cloud of mourning today shrouds the diverse neighborhood where Pham lived.

But what he embodied, and the reasons he came here, remain as vibrant as ever.