Arguments For Open Borders
Advocates for open borders argue for Open Borders on grounds such as the following:
- From a human rights perspective, free migration may be seen to complement Article 13 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
- American bioethicist Jacob M. Appel has argued that "treating human beings differently, simply because they were born on the opposite side of a national boundary," is inherently unethical. According to Appel, such "birthrights" are only defensible if they serve "useful and meaningful social purposes" (such as inheritance rights, which encourage mothers and fathers to work and save for their children), but the "birthright of nationality" does not do so. Economist and writer Philippe Legrain argues that the countries of the world need migration to help global trade and reduce the occurrence of regional wars.
It has been proposed that borders between the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries be opened. If goods and services and corporations can cross international boundaries without restraint, it is argued, then it does not make sense to impose such extreme restraints on the flow of people who work to make those goods and services.
An extensive reading list of pro-open borders arguments is available on the website Open Borders: The Case, a website advocating and discussing open borders. The authors referenced include Bryan Caplan, Alex Tabarrok, Michael Clemens, Lant Pritchett, Joseph Carens, and many others.
Read more about this topic: Open Border
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