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 […]
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 […]
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.
From the American point of view, technology and trade are the same. From the human point of view, trade is better.
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.
“From the evidence I’ve seen, propaganda works – though not nearly as well as the propagandists would hope.”
Bryan Caplan is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He is a prolific blogger and author of three books: The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies (2007), Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think (2011), and the forthcoming The Case […]
The advocates of immigration- and gun -control policies are promoting a standing law enforcement body to go around violating freedoms in the hope that a greater gain in freedom will happen down the road…
Should governments have a blanket right to exclude immigrants?
Before our polyglot world of mass movement and mass immigration, what we know as pop culture didn’t exist.
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.
How do those who take individual rights seriously address the argument that immigration restrictions are justified as a means of securing liberal institutions?
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Birthright citizenship aids both the assimilation and acceptance of immigrants and is largely responsible for our successful history of economic and cultural integration.
President Trump earlier this week issued a revised version of his infamous executive order to temporarily ban the issuance of new green cards and visas for nationals from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan. The new order dropped Iraq, which eviscerated Trump’s argument that the list of banned countries is based on an existing list […]
During the presidential campaign Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, tweeted a picture of a bowl of Skittles candies along with the caption: “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.” Trump’s tweet generated backlash from many corners but […]
The state’s comprise the federal government; not the other way around.
Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) recently introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act. If it were to become law, RAISE would cut legal immigration by 50 percent over the next ten years by reducing green cards for family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, slashing refugees, and […]
Throughout the presidential campaign, there was much talk of a Muslim registry. Fortunately, that seems to have fallen by the wayside since the election, and the Trump administration has been consistent, thus far, in denying it will pursue one. Still, we should remain vigilant about it because something similar is still on the table: a […]
A society can’t close itself off and remain free.
Capitalism—stronger than any border wall or immigration ban—remains a resilient and deeply American system.
The idea is wrongheaded on both counts: they would harm citizens of the US as well as those of Latin America.