Let Anyone Take a Job Anywhere: My Closing Statement for IQ2, by Bryan Caplan

It's hard to believe we're even debating "Let anyone take a
job anywhere."  If someone said, "The law
should prevent women from working," or "The law should prevent Jews from working,"
or "The law should prevent blacks from working," you wouldn't just
disagree.  You'd be appalled.  You should be
equally appalled when someone says, "The law should prevent foreigners from
working."   Criminalizing the employment of women, Jews,
blacks, or foreigners is doubly
evil.  It denies the workers' basic human
rights.  And it deprives the world of the
full benefit of the workers' talent and ambition.

Open borders should be a bipartisan, bi-ideological
cause. 

Conservatives should oppose immigration restrictions in the
name of freedom, free markets, small government, the work ethic, meritocracy,
and Horatio Alger himself. 

Liberals should oppose immigration restrictions in the name
of equality, reducing poverty, equal opportunity, non-discrimination, social
justice, and the global 99%. 

When the government forbids American farmers to hire Mexican
farm workers, how can a conservative not
see the oppressive hand of Big Government crushing the entrepreneurial
spirit?  When the government forbids
American restaurants to hire Haitian dishwashers, how can a liberal not see a heartless legal system diabolically
promoting poverty and discrimination?

Please!  Let anyone
take a job anywhere.  It is the right way
to treat your fellow human beings.  It will
transform the world for the better.  And
it will cost us less than nothing.

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