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Open Borders Is the Only Libertarian Immigration Position

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There is a common misconception in the libertarian movement that there are two positions on immigration within libertarianism: the position favoring open borders and the position favoring government-controlled borders. Nothing could be further from the truth. Libertarianism is a consistent philosophy. It doesn’t encompass contradictory positions. The core principle of libertarianism is what is called the non-aggression principle. It holds that people are free to do anything they want so long as their conduct is peaceful. That is, so long as people are not murdering, assaulting, raping, burglarizing, defrauding, trespassing, or otherwise initiating force against others, they are free to engage in any action they want. In sum: anything that’s peaceful. Thus, liberty necessarily encompasses such principles as freedom of association, freedom of travel, freedom of movement, economic liberty, freedom of trade, and liberty of contract. Those principles necessarily lead to but one conclusion: Open borders, or the right of people to travel across borders in search of a better life, sustain and ...

Open Borders Doesn’t Mean No Borders

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Whenever libertarians bring up the idea of open borders, some people in the controlled-borders crowd immediately go ballistic, exclaiming, “But borders are essential to preserve our national sovereignty. If we abolish borders, our nation will cease to exist.” But open borders does not mean that borders are eliminated, erased, or abolished. An open border simply means that people are free to cross the border. The border doesn’t disappear. It remains in place, only people are now free to cross it. Additionally, even though people are free to cross the border, the jurisdictions on both sides of the border retain their respective sovereignties. When a person crosses the border and enters into a new jurisdiction, he becomes subject to the laws of that jurisdiction. Sovereignty remains intact even though there are people crossing the border into that particular jurisdiction. Consider, for example, Virginia and Maryland. The border between the two states is the Potomac River. It is completely open. Every day, countless citizens ...

Open Borders: The Only Moral and Practical Solution

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Ever since FFF was established in 1989, there have been those who have said to me, “Jacob, you’re just asking people to bite off more than they’re able to chew with FFF’s call for open borders. Why don’t you just argue for increased immigration? You’d find a lot more support for that position.” There are two major reasons why we have long advocated open borders: It is the only policy that is consistent with the principles of freedom, and it’s the only policy that works. Open borders simply mean freedom, free markets, and free enterprise. Libertarians know that free markets and free enterprise work. They enable people to pursue happiness in their own way. They provide a peaceful means by which people can harmonize their interests and pursuits with others. They raise people’s standard of living. Then there are socialism and interventionism. The world now recognizes that they don’t work. They produce economic crises. They distort people’s plans. They generate chaos. Ever since ...