Joe Biden Flip-Flopped on Immigration and Embraced Trump's Tactics
The Biden administration continued many of the same immigration enforcement measures he lambasted Trump for using.
Borders
Trump's Plan To Fight Illegal Drugs With Punitive Tariffs Makes No Sense
If stopping drugs from entering the country is as straightforward as the president-elect implies, why didn't he do it during his first term?
Trump, the Self-Described 'Tariff Man,' Does Not Understand How Tariffs Work
Since the president-elect refuses to admit that levies on imports are taxes paid by Americans, he sees no downside to raising them.
The Math on Mass Deportation Doesn't Add Up
Flawed calculations and overlooked benefits show why Trump's immigration plan would be a fiscal disaster for America.
Abolish Borders
If government-drawn lines within your country don't possess some sort of moral magic that voids your rights, why would government-drawn lines between countries?
Feds Use 'Border Security' To Justify Social Media Surveillance
Supposedly targeted at immigrants and travelers, the program endangers everybody’s liberty.
Arizona Passes Immigration Crackdown Measure That Will Invite Unaccountable Policing
Proposition 314 will allow state and local police to enforce immigration law—and shield them from lawsuits over misconduct related to that enforcement.
One-Third of Expensive Border Surveillance Towers Don't Work
Decades of border surveillance programs have spent billions of dollars but achieved little.
A Pro-Immigrant Party Wouldn't Want To Revive the Failed Senate Border Bill
Tim Walz is wrong to insist that it would "keep our dignity about how we treat other people."
Biden's DHS Halting Migrant Program Raises Border Security Concerns
Suspending the parole program for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela could increase illegal entries and undermine border security.
En Banc Fifth Circuit Rules for Texas in Water Buoy Case, but Doesn't Resolve Issue of Whether Illegal Migration Qualifies as "Invasion"
The invasion argument is still being litigated in another case.
Promising To Restore 'Law and Order,' Trump Falsely Claims Crime Is Rising
The most notable recent increase happened on the former president's watch, when homicides spiked.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
RNC Speakers Give Exaggerated Impression of Immigrant Crime
Tuesday’s programming was light on policy and heavy on horror.
Biden's Election Year Border Order
The president's plan to address security at the Mexican border drew backlash both from immigration advocates and border hawks.
No One Defended Immigration at the First Presidential Debate
The topic was reduced largely to border crossing numbers, dubious claims about migrant crime, and enforcement bona fides.
Be Wary of the Department of Homeland Security's AI Ambitions
Americans shouldn’t count on the department to use the technology responsibly or in a limited way.
The Best of Reason: American Small Businesses Are Desperate for Foreign Workers
The number of job openings far exceeds the number of unemployed Americans. Seasonal businesses can't get the foreign labor they need.
Arizona Voters Will Weigh Ballot Initiative To Make Illegal Border Crossing a State Crime
Law enforcement could arrest those they suspect of crossing into the state illegally—and they’d be “immune from liability for damages.”
Biden's New Asylum Policy is Both Harmful and Illegal
It is also questionable whether it will achieve its political goals.
Biden Announces Sweeping Asylum Restrictions at U.S.-Mexico Border
“The entry of any noncitizen into the United States across the southern border is hereby suspended and limited,” said the president’s order.
American Small Businesses Are Desperate for Foreign Workers
The number of job openings far exceeds the number of unemployed Americans. Seasonal businesses can't get the foreign labor they need.
Libertarian Candidate Chase Oliver Wants To Bring Back 'Ellis Island Style' Immigration Processing
The Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate says he would address areas from a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to high-skilled visa reform.
Trump's Mass Deportation Plan Is Anti-American
Donald Trump’s promise to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation” in U.S. history would tear apart families, harm American workers, and require militaristic enforcement.
The U.S. Should Welcome Chinese Migrants
They're fleeing tyranny and seeking opportunity, not coming to "build a little army."
How Obama Gave Trump the 'Military-Age Males' Talking Point
The same tactics used to justify drone strikes are now being used to demonize immigrant men.
Dave Smith vs. Chris Freiman: What's the Ideal Immigration Policy?
Podcast host Dave Smith and philosopher Chris Freiman debate open borders on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
My New Lawfare Article on Why "Immigration is Not Invasion"
Texas is wrong to equate illegal migration and drug smuggling with invasion. If accepted by courts, the argument would set a dangerous precedent.
Amicus Brief in United States v. Abbott Explains Why Texas is Wrong to Equate Illegal Migration and Drug Smuggling With "Invasion"
The state's position is at odds with the text and original meaning of the Constitution and would set a dangerous precedent if accepted by federal courts.
The Best of Reason: The Future of Immigration Is Privatization
New immigration pathways are letting private citizens welcome refugees and other migrants—and getting the government out of the way.
The Future of Immigration Is Privatization
New immigration pathways are letting private citizens welcome refugees and other migrants—and getting the government out of the way.
New Podcasts on Nationalism and Immigration/Border Issues
One is an interview for the new Argue with Me podcast series, and the other is part of Michael Liebowitz's Rational Egoist series.
The Myth of the Migrant Crime Wave
The "data that exist for this year show consistent declines in major crimes in major cities."
Biden's Cognitive Shrinkflation
Plus: A listener asks if the state of Oregon’s policy on drug decriminalization should be viewed as a success.
Border Bill Blows Up
Plus: Biden's sagging poll numbers, the Amazon Files, and more...
The Good and the Bad of the Senate Border Bill
It mixes much-needed reform with changes that could upend the asylum system in damaging ways.
'Zero Illegal Crossings' Is an Unattainable Goal for the Border
If House Speaker Mike Johnson really wants less chaos at the border, he should look for ways to make legal immigration more accessible—and more attractive—than illegal immigration.
How Biden Can Alleviate Pressure on the Border by Making Legal Migration Easier
Cato Institute immigration policy expert David Bier explains how it can be done, in a NY Times op ed.
Politics Created the Border Crisis
Plus: A listener asks if libertarians are too obsessed with economic growth.
The Twisted Logic of Greg Abbott's Border Policy
Undocumented immigrants aren’t the same as an invading army, but the Texas governor keeps acting like they are.
Texas' New Immigration Law Will Lead to More Policing With Less Accountability
S.B. 4 will let officers arrest people well beyond the border. It also “provides civil immunity and indemnification” for state officials who get sued for enforcing it.
Southern Border Showdown
Plus: Houthi attack, Milei misinformation, Instagram rooster eugenics, and more...
Restricting Asylum Will Cause More Border Chaos
Joe Biden and Congress are considering a plan that will create a crueler, deadlier situation on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Fifth Circuit Rules Against Texas in Case Where State Claimed Immigration and Drug Smuggling Qualify as "Invasion"
The ruling is mostly based on statutory issues, but also covers the "invasion" question.
Fix the Border Crisis by Making Legal Immigration Easier
Trying to block immigration by law just means that we’ll get it flowing around the law enforcers.
My New USA Today Article on How Biden Can Ease Border Problems by More Fully Implementing His Own Plans to Make Legal Immigration Easier
The article is coauthored with David Bier of the Cato Institute.
