Should We Strive For A World Without Borders?

Joseph Carens, author of The Ethics of Immigration, questions the morality of deportation:

I ask people, “Do you think the way the world is organized is really fair?” Well, one of the ways in which it’s unfair is that states are given this right to control who gets in and who cannot get in. That’s key to the ability to have some very rich states and a lot of very poor states, because if the rich states didn’t have that control, then people would move from the poor states to the rich states. And that’s exactly what the people in the rich states are worried about.

So you have to ask, “How is this fair?” I think it’s not fair. I don’t think the solution to that is to have all these people moving, because most people would rather live in the society where they’re born. And they would stay there if the opportunities were adequate. The real point is that we have an obligation to make the world more equal, to lower the disparity. There are a variety of ways to do that, and immigration would be one component.

But I think in a just world there wouldn’t be any need for immigration controls.

There could be open borders, and it wouldn’t be a big threat, because most people don’t want to move. Europe has open borders within Europe, and there’s a very low rate of movement. Very few European citizens live outside the state where they’re citizens. Who wants to move to a place where they don’t know anybody or can’t speak the language? People in Greece or Spain might try to move now because things are so desperate, but normally people aren’t going to move for just a minor advantage.

Speaking of immigration within the EU, Massie wishes Brits were capable of a real conversation on the topic:

Almost no-one, not even the relative handful of people truly in favour of open borders, claims there is no downside – or potential downside – to immigration. Most people acknowledge that there are circumstances or places in which it can cause some difficulties. It is not daft to think that population growth can sometimes, in some places, place additional stress on public services. Nor is it reprehensible to think that some immigrants are better placed to thrive in Britain than others or that some are less likely to assimilate or make a valuable contribution to life in this country.

But it is possible to note that – even, if you prefer, to concede that – and still conclude that the right to move anywhere within the European Union is one of the greatest expansions of human liberty we – that is, Europeans –  have enjoyed in recent decades. It is an achievement that should not be cast aside lightly, far less with great force.