Immigration and Freedom

In light of the recent Arizona immigration law, I felt inspired to write down my own opinion on the current state of American opinion on immigration.

During my sophomore year in college, I took an introductory class on comparative politics, and I always found it fascinating in our discussions how people divided up on the issue of economic globalization. Both the Left and the Right were divided on this issue, for seemingly opposite reasons.

On the Left, there was some hesitation to concede the idea that capitalism actually helps the world. Many Leftists view big multinational corporations as an inherent danger to society at large, believing that the employment opportunities they provide for third world countries are nothing more than exploitation. On the other hand, some people on the Left found themselves realizing that global free trade actually leveled the playing field for people in other countries. As one bleeding heart in our class put it, "Why should people in India have any less of a chance to succeed than we do?"

The Right was equally divided. On the one hand, many students with generally Right-wing views struggled with the idea that globalization challenges American exceptionalism. Because a lot of Right-wingers are ardent nationalists, they were of the opinion that jobs should be kept here rather than being exported. But other Right-wingers, believing so fervently as they do that capitalism is the best economic system around, were full supporters of globalization, believing that it would bring prosperity to all nations.

To be up front about my own beliefs, I am a fan of globalization, and I reject the nationalism of the Right as well as the implied paternalism of the Left. Supporters of capitalism on both the Right and the Left are correct--capitalism does bring prosperity, and what's more, people from every nation deserve the same chance to succeed as anyone in America. Free trade is a matter of acknowledging the inherent dignity of every individual human life by ensuring that each individual is free to choose how best to deal with his own property.

How does this relate to immigration law? What has emerged in our culture is a Right/Left division that makes no sense. On the Right, you have people who are always chanting for less government intervention and more capitalism, and then chanting that "illegals" should go home. On the Left, you have people who seem to believe that people who are not officially citizens not only have the right to live and work here but also have the right to receive massive government benefits in the form of health care coverage and public education for their children.

Neither position is self-consistent, and frankly I find both immoral. The Leftists appear to imagine that the Welfare State can somehow support uninhibited immigration. This is not only unsustainable, it is downright paternalistic--as in, "Oh, we'll take care of everyone, we're America!" I find Right-wing nationalism here even more offensive. Calling someone an "illegal" is not only an attack on the human dignity of that person. It also betrays a sense of entitlement on the Right, as in, "We were here first!" I find this sense of entitlement on the Right all the more offensive as they so often criticize the Left for being all about "entitlements" (though to be fair, this criticism is not without reason).

I am of the opinion that America is an idea, and is such it belongs to all human beings. It is the singular idea that every human being has the right to achieve whatever kind of success he desires by doing as he pleases with his own property. It would please me greatly if we lived in a country where immigration had very little restrictions; so long as we were capable of keeping out known criminals, I would be pleased. On the other hand, in such a system the Welfare State simply has to go. People have to be free to simply work for whatever wages they can negotiate with employers. If they can find better opportunities in America, they ought to be welcomed in; if not, they're free to go.

Unfortunately, fear is what drives this debate. Fear makes people feel entitled to things that used to be treated as gifts. If this is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave, then we should not fear what will happen if people are free to move in and out of our country. Nor should we fear what will happen if the Nanny State is not there to catch everyone every time they fall. Humans deserve the respect to be allowed to make their own decisions about where they work and live, and to be treated as if they can deal with the consequences of those decisions.

I would like to see the debate over immigration elevated to such rational principles, but sadly I suspect that it will mostly continue on by people simply taking sides. How long before Americans can stop thinking in terms of "us" and "them"?