Free migration

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Free migration or open immigration is the position that people should be able to migrate to whatever country they choose, free of substantial barriers. Although the two are not the same issue, free migration is similar in spirit to the concept of free trade, and both are advocated by free market economists on the grounds that economics is not a zero-sum game and that free markets are, in their opinion, the best way to create a fairer and balanced economic system, thereby increasing the overall economic benefits to all concerned parties.[1] Many libertarians, socialists, and anarchists advocate open immigration, notwithstanding other noteworthy differences among these three political ideologies.[2]

Arguments against free immigration are usually either cultural/nationalistic or similar to arguments against free trade; for example, protectionism or what critics claim to be xenophobia.[3] Specifically, an influx of cheap labor could easily deflate wages for workers who are already established in a particular labor market, and (at least in the short term) have a negative impact on the standard of living for the more established workers. Other critics of free immigration are concerned that it would be unfair to current homeowners if an influx of new residents greatly brought down the property values and attractiveness of living in that location, or, alternatively, increased the demand to live in the city so much that the home owner would not be able to keep up with increased taxes from higher property values. However, free market economists believe that competition is the essence of a healthy economic system, and that any short-term negative impact on individual economic factors that is caused by free immigration is more than justified by the prospects of long-term growth for the economy as a whole.[4]

War-related chaos can lead to the breakdown of borders and allow for de facto free immigration. The natural attempts to flee strife, or escape a conquering enemy, can quickly lead to millions of refugees. Even where border controls are in place they can be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people. Once settled into refugee camps, these reluctant immigrants may take decades to be either repatriated back or naturalized into their new country. This has been the situation with the Palestinians in Jordan. The Cold War saw a migration paradox in which some of the communist states forbid emigration, while the "Free World" would freely accept the defectors. This policy persists for Cubans [1] and the Hmong, who are both allowed particular forms of free immigration to the United States based on their automatic refugee status.

Until the 20th century, the United States and Canada had policies that allowed for almost completely open immigration for Europeans. In the Immigration Act of 1924, the United States Congress adopted strict immigration controls, especially on those coming from outside western Europe. These rules were later relaxed in the 1965 Immigration Reform Act. Currently, to cite some examples, open immigration is allowed within the European Union [2], the Nordic Council, the European Free Trade Association EFTA, the European Economic Area (EEA), the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (with exceptions and restrictions) and in some bilateral agreements, such as between Puerto Rico and the United States.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] References

  1. ^ The movement of people and goods is linked, Binod Khadria, BBC News, April 13, 2004.
  2. ^ Immigration Control: What about the workers?, Paul Marks, Free Life No. 19, Page 12, November, 1993.
  3. ^ Borders are the line between 'us' and 'them', Mark Krikorian, BBC News, April 13, 2004.
  4. ^ In Defense of Free Migration, Richard M. Ebeling, The Future of Freedom Foundation, June 1991