The Volokh Conspiracy
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My New Schweizer Monat Article on "Open Borders" Immigration
A Swiss publication invited me to write this article making the case for open borders.
The Swiss publication Schweizer Monat invited me to write an article making the case for "open borders" immigration policy, which I was happy to do. It came out today. There are both English language and German versions. Here is an excerpt from the English version:
I was born in the Soviet Union in 1973. The life of most residents of that totalitarian state was one of poverty and oppression. Several of my relatives had been victims of the government's repressive policies. In addition, as Jews they often felt the weight of the regime's institutionalized anti- Semitism. I was freed of all that because my parents and I were able to leave the USSR for the United States in 1979. I am, as a result, vastly better off than my peers who stayed in Russia. But virtually all of the difference between my life and theirs is the result of the difference between American institutions and Russian ones, not any merit of mine. Had I remained in Russia, I would likely still be poor, and might well have become a victim of Vladimir Putin's repressive policies, or been caught up in his brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. My life is just one of many transformed for the better by migration. More people should have the same opportunity.
The idea of "open borders" migration may seem impossibly radical. Most people take it for granted that governments have the right to restrict immigration. But more careful consideration shows that an "open borders" policy is a natural outgrowth of liberal democratic ideals of liberty and equality. Moreover, immigration has enormously beneficial effects for natives, as well as immigrants themselves. There can be negative side-effects of migration. But most can be dealt with through "keyhole solutions" that do not require migration restrictions.
The rest of the article summarizes the moral and economic advantages of free migration, and addresses several standard objections. I cover these and related issues in much greater detail in my book Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom. See also my recent post on "What Milton Friedman Got Wrong About Immigration and the Welfare State," which gives a more extensive critique of an objection of special interest to many libertarians and conservatives.
