Category:Immigration

May 28, 2024 | Post

In fact, the Italian embassy’s denial of Bangladeshi chess players’ visas for a recent tournament reveals how national “freedom” can actually restrict personal freedoms.

April 26, 2024 | Post

Learn more about the lesser-known candidates running for president in 2024 and how pro-liberty folks might assess their positions.

January 11, 2024 | Post

The recent surge of national conservatism in the United States has not only highlighted a departure from classical liberal principles but also raised concerns about a fundamental shift away from the values that have long defined American governance. 

December 18, 2023 | Post

Climate refugees, like those from Tuvalu, warrant equal consideration alongside other displaced populations.

Moreover, proponents of liberty should unequivocally support Tuvaluans’ desire to live where they choose to: their beautiful Pacific island home.

August 23, 2023 | Post

Immigration has been a huge driving force behind creating America as we know it today. Without immigrants, or with far fewer immigrants, it would be impossible to imagine the United States developing into the world’s dominant economic powerhouse as it did. Opposition to immigration has been allowed to gradually place the American dream out of reach for so many ambitious individuals and deprive the country of further potential in the process.

August 11, 2023 | Post

In the vast expanse of North Dakota’s oil fields, a quiet yet significant transformation is taking place. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees have found their way to this unlikely destination, contributing to a workforce grappling with severe shortages. 

While their presence has brought forth positive change, it’s astounding how this story remains shrouded in relative obscurity. 

Let’s look at how the story of North Dakota’s newest arrivals and the success of the Uniting for Ukraine program shows the potential for a simplified and more open immigration process.

July 13, 2023 | Post

To set the record straight on the matter of liberty and immigration, let’s look to one of the most influential classical liberal thinkers, Ludwig von Mises, for guidance…

September 2, 2022 | Post

As long as they do not violate anyone’s rights, immigrants should be able to purchase property, engage in commerce, speak their language, and practice their faith in any manner they choose and within any borders.

May 25, 2022 | Post

The factions people ally with are going through a dramatic change, but what is driving this political realignment and what does it mean for liberty?

March 1, 2022 | Video

Believe it or not, there IS an immigration policy that can credibly be called conservative. It’s a policy follows the examples of other English-speaking countries, and one that would reward skill and effort while protecting the institutions that have made America great.  It also acknowledges that freedom’s strongest advocates come from places where freedom was […]

January 4, 2022 | Video

Does immigration to the United States change American culture? Are immigrants more or less patriotic than natives? Is it easier or harder for immigrants to assimilate in the 2020s than it was in the 1920s? Economic writer and researcher Daniel DiMartino was born in Venezuela but now lives in the US. In Part 1 of […]

October 21, 2021 | Video

Is immigration bad for the United States in 2021? Should the southern border be closed? Should we “build the wall,” as former President Donald Trump suggested?

Part 1 of Learn Liberty’s immigration series, “Why Should Conservatives Embrace Immigration?” tackles the stereotypical narratives around immigration from a Libertarian perspective — and from a statistical one.

As economic writer and researcher Daniel DiMartino describes, the economy doesn’t have a fixed number of jobs, and preventing highly skilled immigrants from entering the United States will only persuade companies to move those jobs elsewhere.

April 28, 2021 | Video

Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Vietnamese immigrant population in the United States has grown significantly, from about 231,000 in 1980, to nearly 1.3 million in 2012. The surge happened mostly during the 1980s and 1990s.

Hear from Vietnamese refugee, Viet Tran, who talks about his past struggles with fleeing his country in search for a better life. We go back to 1980.

“People will escape no matter what, as long as the government is harsh on their people.” – Viet Tran

This video answers the following questions:

How does government impact the lives of the ones they govern?
How do borders impact the people that they divide?
What does a life without freedom, justice, and democracy really look like?

September 12, 2017 | Post

Ilya Somin is Professor of Law at George Mason University. His research focuses on constitutional law, property law, and the study of popular political participation.

June 27, 2017 | Video

This is the journey of one North Korean survivor, Yeonmi Park, who escaped North Korea’s borders and then had to break free from its brainwashing.

May 19, 2017 | Post

Should governments have a blanket right to exclude immigrants?

May 16, 2017 | Video

Bryan Caplan and Christopher Wellman debate immigration. Is there a human right to immigrate to any country in the world? Debate sponsored by IHS, the John Templeton Foundation, and University of San Diego’s Center for Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy.

May 14, 2017 | Post

Before our polyglot world of mass movement and mass immigration, what we know as pop culture didn’t exist.

April 30, 2017 | Post

With a few exceptions noted above, none of the rights protected by the Constitution are limited to citizens. And none include a blanket exception for immigration cases.

April 29, 2017 | Post

How do those who take individual rights seriously address the argument that immigration restrictions are justified as a means of securing liberal institutions?

March 31, 2017 | Post

Editors Note: On March 16th George Mason University Professor of Economics Bryan Caplan debated Washington University Professor of Philosophy Christopher Wellman on the topic, “Is Immigration a Basic Human Right?” Below is Professor Caplan’s opening statement. There are many complaints about governments, but the harshest is, “This government grossly violates human rights.”  The background assumption is that […]

March 28, 2017 | Post

This past Monday, President Trump released a new executive order shutting down the refugee program for 120 days and banning immigration from six majority-Muslim countries for 90 days. President Trump attempted to justify these changes by stating in part that: The Attorney General has reported to me that more than 300 persons who entered the […]

March 26, 2017 | Post

If any part of liberalism needs revitalizing, it’s the case for liberalizing immigration. Nationalists on the left and right argue that easing immigration restrictions would make Americans worse off. During the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders criticized open borders as a “right-wing proposal” that would “make everybody in America poorer.” And of course Donald Trump is calling […]

March 19, 2017 | Post

Birthright citizenship aids both the assimilation and acceptance of immigrants and is largely responsible for our successful history of economic and cultural integration.