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Against Borders
This book provides a philosophical defence of open borders. Two policy dogmas are the right of sovereign states to restrict immigration and the infeasibility of opening borders. These dogmas persist in face of the human suffering caused by border controls and in spite of a global economy where the mobility of goods and capital is combined with severe restrictions on the movement of most of the world’s poor. Alex Sager argues that immigration restrictions violate human rights and sustain unjust global inequalities, and that we should reject these dogmas that deprive hundreds of millions of people of opportunities solely because of their place of birth. Opening borders would promote human freedom, foster economic prosperity, and mitigate global inequalities. Sager contends that studies of migration from economics, history, political science, and other disciplines reveal that open borders are a feasible goal for political action, and that citizens around the world have a moral obligation to work toward open borders.
- GenresPhilosophyPolitics
146 pages, Paperback
Published January 8, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 14, 2024
Sublime work! This book decisively refutes closed border arguments. Read this book if you are looking for a more left wing case for open borders compared to Bryan Caplan's (also wonderful!) libertarian Capitalist case for open borders. This magnificent book and Bryan Caplan's excellent book have pretty much settled the moral debate on immigration.
July 14, 2023
"A stroll around the neighborhood needn't be tied to any particular goal. The relief felt in escaping a prison sentence does not require further explanation."
In Against Borders, Alex Sager—a Portland-based philosophy professor known for his work in the ethics of migration—explains what open borders is, explores the coercion and violence inherent to border controls, offers a positive case for open borders based in notions of universal human rights (especially the freedom of movement) and distributive justice, and offers a defense of open borders against critical arguments based in notions of national self-determination and cultural cohesion.
Here are some interesting points and arguments that Sager makes in the book:
"False accusations that Democrats support open borders were a mainstay of Trump's campaign and continued during his presidency. Indeed, 'open borders' has become a metonym for any proposed immigration reform that threatens to make the current immigration system less brutal or more inclusive. In reality, open borders is not a mainstream political cause, even among people sharply critical of the current immigration system. The idea that Congressional Democrats advocate open borders has no basis in reality" (1).
"A more general argument against open borders rests on communities' right to self-determination (Walzer 1983; Wellman 2008). It is possible that the addition of new members could reduce the power of current residents to shape the political and cultural fabric in ways they prefer. In a democratic state, immigrants would become part of the franchise with a right to a voice in political decisions. But even with open borders, states would continue to exercise authority over their legal, educational, and administrative institutions within their territory. A change in the composition of political subjects through immigration does not undermine sovereignty any more than women's suffrage or abolition did in the past—or the addition of new members when children come of age does today. Open borders largely leave the structure of the nation-state in place" (18).
"[C]ritics of open borders often conflate the achievement of open borders with their implementation. Advocating for open borders doesn't mean implementing them overnight. To support open borders does not mean immediately removing any border restrictions, regardless of the consequences. Even those of us who think that the potential dangers of open borders are overstated can agree that, at the very least, there are questions of coordination that need to be dealt with before throwing open the gates. Any reasonable implementation plan for open borders would likely phase them in over time" (19).
Against Borders approaches the subject of open borders from a philosophical perspective, and in my opinion it does so quite well. Sager's writing style is concise and to-the-point, and his arguments are solid and consistent. I also like his use of in-text citations. He frequently cites a political theorist named Joseph Carens and a philosopher named Josè Joege Mendoza, both of whom I'll be reading next. If you're interested in learning more about open borders and the arguments surrounding it, I'd highly recommend this book.
In Against Borders, Alex Sager—a Portland-based philosophy professor known for his work in the ethics of migration—explains what open borders is, explores the coercion and violence inherent to border controls, offers a positive case for open borders based in notions of universal human rights (especially the freedom of movement) and distributive justice, and offers a defense of open borders against critical arguments based in notions of national self-determination and cultural cohesion.
Here are some interesting points and arguments that Sager makes in the book:
"False accusations that Democrats support open borders were a mainstay of Trump's campaign and continued during his presidency. Indeed, 'open borders' has become a metonym for any proposed immigration reform that threatens to make the current immigration system less brutal or more inclusive. In reality, open borders is not a mainstream political cause, even among people sharply critical of the current immigration system. The idea that Congressional Democrats advocate open borders has no basis in reality" (1).
"A more general argument against open borders rests on communities' right to self-determination (Walzer 1983; Wellman 2008). It is possible that the addition of new members could reduce the power of current residents to shape the political and cultural fabric in ways they prefer. In a democratic state, immigrants would become part of the franchise with a right to a voice in political decisions. But even with open borders, states would continue to exercise authority over their legal, educational, and administrative institutions within their territory. A change in the composition of political subjects through immigration does not undermine sovereignty any more than women's suffrage or abolition did in the past—or the addition of new members when children come of age does today. Open borders largely leave the structure of the nation-state in place" (18).
"[C]ritics of open borders often conflate the achievement of open borders with their implementation. Advocating for open borders doesn't mean implementing them overnight. To support open borders does not mean immediately removing any border restrictions, regardless of the consequences. Even those of us who think that the potential dangers of open borders are overstated can agree that, at the very least, there are questions of coordination that need to be dealt with before throwing open the gates. Any reasonable implementation plan for open borders would likely phase them in over time" (19).
Against Borders approaches the subject of open borders from a philosophical perspective, and in my opinion it does so quite well. Sager's writing style is concise and to-the-point, and his arguments are solid and consistent. I also like his use of in-text citations. He frequently cites a political theorist named Joseph Carens and a philosopher named Josè Joege Mendoza, both of whom I'll be reading next. If you're interested in learning more about open borders and the arguments surrounding it, I'd highly recommend this book.
May 27, 2020
A lot of people will instinctively want to reject the conclusions of this book, but the reasoning underlining them is undeniable. This is perhaps the best, most articulate, and still reasonably compact defense of open borders I've ever come across--and this is the one (and perhaps only) area I specialize in. So for those of you interested in this topic or for educators thinking about adding an immigration ethics component to one of your classes...this book is perfect!
November 26, 2020
Strong and thoroughly argued statement for open borders.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews