Meaningful Pentagon Cuts Will Require Rethinking What 'Defense' Means
If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is serious about reducing military spending, he will need to embrace a narrower understanding of national security.
Borders
Where Deportees Are Being Held
Plus: Talks with Russia, Zizian death cult leader arrested, and more...
When COVID Authoritarianism Met Border Authoritarianism
All 194 countries in the World Health Organization imposed COVID travel restrictions. The authors of When the World Closed Its Doors argue it was a failure.
Today's Migrants Are Just like Your Immigrant Great-Grandparents
Nearly 40 percent of Americans have at least one ancestor who entered the U.S. through Ellis Island. However, today's migrants may be shut out and deported, a humanitarian tragedy that would profoundly damage the U.S. economy.Â
Trump's Tariffs Require Customs Agents To Check All Mail from China
Eliminating tariff exemptions will increase import delivery times and make direct-to-consumer goods more expensive.
Trump's Tariff Threats Can't Win the Unwinnable War on Drugs
After promising to stop the flow of drugs during his first term, the president blames foreign officials for his failure.
Trump's Theory of Tariffs Makes No Sense
We can tax our way to prosperity, Trump claims, but we'll just…not do that, I guess?
Trump's Deportation Plan Is About Numbers, Not Safety
Once everyone is a priority, no particular group, including criminals, is singled out for enforcement.
Trump's Orders Feature Nonexistent Emergencies, Illegal Power Grabs, and Blatant Inconsistencies
But at least he restored respect for a tariff-loving predecessor by renaming a mountain.
Mexico Embraces You
Plus: Sovereign children, Angela McArdle interview, botox fraud, and more...
Can Trump Rename the Gulf of Mexico With an Executive Order?
The most important thing in any name is not what some official institution or a collection of old maps says. Spontaneous order tends to rule the day.
Trump Signals a Crackdown on Legal and Illegal Immigration
The president plans to suspend refugee resettlement and declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump Goes After Mexico by Designating Drug Cartels Terrorist Organizations
Designating cartels as terrorist organizations could allow the feds to prosecute people who pay protection money—and might pave the way for undeclared war.
Biden Strengthened the Refugee Resettlement System. Will Trump Undo It?
Refugee resettlements last year hit a 30-year high, but that progress is fragile.
Address Border Chaos by Making Legal Migration Easier
Cato Institute immigration analyst Alex Nowrasteh has an excellent piece on this subject.
An El Paso Christian Charity Is Caught Up in Texas' Border Fight Against the Feds
Annunciation House feeds, shelters, and clothes immigrants. State officials say it's "systemic criminal conduct."
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.
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.
