Explaining Immigration Control: Why Borders?

Question 1

Can you describe the thought experiment (“veil of ignorance” and “original position”) of John Rawls, and how it can be related to questions of immigration policy?

Answer 1

designing a society while being unaware of their own specific characteristics, social status, or beliefs, creating equitable immigration process

The Principle of Equal Liberty: Each person has an
equal claim to a fully adequate scheme of basic
rights and liberties

The Difference Principle: There will be inequalities,
but we are morally obligated to improve the worst
off.

Question 2

What arguments do political philosophers (such as Miller or Walzer) offer to justify strong national borders and immigration controls?

Answer 2

Miller; Governments have obligation to prioritize the
well-being of its citizens Compatriot partiality”:
members of nations have special responsibilities for other members

Walzer; Justified for national members to exclude
outsiders in to preserve shared values,
collective goals, and cultural characteristic

Question 3

How does Joseph Carens make the case for expanding entry and membership for international migrants? By comparison, what is Fabio Rojas’s argument for open borders?

Question 4

If we think along two dimensions—immigration numbers and immigrant rights—four different ideological camps emerge. What are they?

Answer 4

cosmopolitans, social democrats, capitalists, border hawks

Question 5

Describe Operation Lonestar and its impacts.