What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
This was a comment made in the comments section of Richard Epstein's post on free trade:
So, what does free trade have to do with open-borders?
My answer to that question, is...everything. Immigration restrictions are effectively tariffs. They restrict the trade of human capital, and trade restrictions ultimately make us poorer.
How do immigration restrictions make us poorer? Those of us who believe in free trade generally subscribe to the concept of comparative advantage. But the concept of comparative advantage, doesn't just apply to goods. It also applies to human capital.
Here's just one of many examples. Americans are typically good at jobs that require extensive use of the English language, while immigrants are not. Immigration allows Americans to specialize in language intensive jobs, while immigrants can specialize in non-language jobs. The skills of immigrants and US workers are complementary. As a result, we are all better off.
And just like imported goods are subject to inspection, we certainly have a right and responsibility to subject immigrants to criminal background and national security checks. But other than that, labor should be allowed to flow into the US without restriction, and that is the only position that is consistent with a belief in free trade.
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Comments:
Mar '11
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Criminal background and national security checks are only the beginning. A free, prosperous society must have a united culture and a united language. This does not mean that immigrants from Mexico have to leave their culture and history at the door, but there must be some degree of assimilation into our society. They should not come here to create Mexico Norte, but should desire American citizenship and all that that entails: paying taxes, speaking English, learning our history, following the law, etcetera.
Jul '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
This is wrong-headed, I don't even know where to start. So I won't.
May '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Eliminate, nay SMASH, the Welfare State, and we can begin to discuss this preposterous notion.
Oct '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
"A free, prosperous society must have a united culture and a united language".
In a free society, culture and language would not be dictated by government. It would be a market process.
But if it's really that important that immigrants know English before they get here, then let's give them a test. It would be much less draconian than our current system which says that once we meet our quotas, you can't come in at all.
Oct '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Then let's pass a law that says immigrants get no welfare benefits. Problem solved. Again, it's much better than government making it illegal for people who want to come here and live and work to do so.
May '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Hell's Bells. You want the borders to be wide open, but you want the government to administer English tests.
Willie Beamen: "A free, prosperous society must have a united culture and a united language".
In a free society, culture and language would not be dictated by government. It would be a market process.
But if it's really that important that immigrants know English before they get here, then let's give them a test. It would be much less draconian than our current system which says that once we meet our quotas, you can't come in at all. · May 26 at 3:34pm
Who's to say that America would be better off speaking, oh, Tagolog?
Jul '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Willie Beamen
Then let's pass a law that says immigrants get no welfare benefits. Problem solved. Again, it's much better than government making it illegal for people who want to come here and live and work to do so. · May 26 at 3:49pm
No welfare benefits? And no free education for their kids? And no medical care in emergency wards? And instant deportation when they break our laws?
Oh, and how about deportation for working off the books at 1/4 the wage of American citizens?
May '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
<em> Then let's pass a law that says immigrants get no welfare benefits. Problem solved.</em>
Lord help me, but I'm pretty sure that law already exists. Enforced? Nah.
No, Hoss. I mean SMASH the entire welfare apparatus. Why should the child of Nigerian immigrants earn "black" credit in State college admissions?
Dec '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
What you are proposing may indeed be the most efficient deployment of capital across national resources, and hence provide the best standard of living of the most people regardless of borders. Maybe. I do not cede this point, but I acknowledge it is possible.
But...
Call me a xenophobe, but I don't care about that. I care about the best possible standard of living for American citizens already living here.
Now, you might think paying 5 cents less per head of lettuce delivers aggregated economic benefits that exceed the social costs resulting from the depression of blue-collar wages and erosion of American culture. I don't.
Jul '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
How about I mow Yer lawn once a week for access to Yer Home, keep in mind that I'll be bringing My culture?
Mar '11
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Best response to this line of argument is in John Derbyshire's article "Libertarianism in One Country" (http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/219463/libertarianism-one-country/john-derbyshire).
Oct '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
One big problem with the 'humans as goods' analogy is that humans are more than goods - the labor they provide is a relatively small part of the package they bring to the table, whereas goods are...goods. Immigration could conceivably be used as a weapon by individuals, groups, and nations against another nation. I've never heard of any goods demanding self determination and forming insurgencies.
The only way immigration could really be 'opened up' would be to tailor immigration requirements to the labor market. For instance, if there were a doctor shortage, throw open the border to doctors for a while.
Finally, in my opinion, the more open the borders, the more important it is to ensure a wide variety of countries and ethnicities are represented, to prevent a single foreign culture from flooding the market and preventing assimilation or integration or whatever you want to call it.
Nov '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
I think that Mr. Beamen's point deserves a response as an economic proposition, which is how he framed it, and I do not know enough about economics to analyze it.
The posts made by Kenneth, Mesquito, and others have to do with cultural integrity, political continuity, security, social services costs, and other points: all of which resonate with me. But the free trade arguments are not addressed.
Would we be better off economically if the borders were open (and the social costs were held neutral)?
Oct '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
There are plenty of American citizens with language difficulties that might need those same jobs you reserve for illegals. Mickey Kaus makes a strong case for this.
Jan '11
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Willie Beamen:
In a free society, culture and language would not be dictated by government. It would be a market process.
Yes! Language emerges from the process of people communicating with each other over time.
Oh how I so much enjoy it when someone on a website states the obvious but yet nearly everyone else is provoked by what was stated because it's somehow too controversial. I'm the first one to 'like' this comment. I hope I won't be the only one.
May '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
M1919A4: I think that Mr. Beamen's point deserves a response as an economic proposition, which is how he framed it, and I do not know enough about economics to analyze it.
The posts made by Kenneth, Mesquito, and others have to do with cultural integrity, political continuity, security, social services costs, and other points: all of which resonate with me. But the free trade arguments are not addressed.
Would we be better off economically if the borders were open (and the social costs were held neutral)? · May 26 at 4:51pm
They never are, Hoss.
Look, I don't hate immigrants. My Ma is one. And she feels the same about immigration policy as do I, except more stridently.
Mar '11
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
A country whose citizens are divided over language, who are not united with a common understanding of their country's origins and its purpose (the Declaration, republican government, God-given rights, etc.), cannot sustain itself. The immigrants who came to this country in the 18th and 19th centuries were intent on becoming American, on learning our language and studying our history and contributing to the betterment of the American community, they did not come here to create New Ireland or New Germany or what have you. Now, even some of those immigrants had a negative impact on our republic: some German immigrants brought with them political and social ideals that were antithetical to those of our founding fathers and to republican government, yet at least their allegiance to our country was paramount over carrying the home flag on American soil (a nod to our Mexican friends who walk through our streets waving the Mexican flag and demanding that we pay them benefits.) I am in line with libertarians on many issues, but to extend the ideals of libertarianism beyond the American political system is detrimental to its own survival.
Oct '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
KarlUB:
Call me a xenophobe, but I don't care about that. I care about the best possible standard of living for American citizens already living here.
Now, you might think paying 5 cents less per head of lettuce delivers aggregated economic benefits that exceed the social costs resulting from the depression of blue-collar wages and erosion of American culture. I don't. · May 26 at 4:18pm
Yes, it does deliver an "aggregated economic benefit". You are interesting in protecting some workers at the expense of everyone else.
There is very little evidence that American workers are made worse off by immigration.
Jul '10
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Willie Beamen: This was a comment made in the comments section of Richard Epstein's post on free trade:
My answer to that question, is...everything. Immigration restrictions are effectively tariffs. They restrict the trade of human capital, and trade restrictions ultimately make us poorer.
So if the people are the commodities, who are the parties to the exchange? Wouldn't the parties then be the countries involved?
Free trade implies the mutual consent of the parties.
Jan '11
Re: What Does Free Trade Have to Do with Open-Borders?
Why must the people who migrate here remain illegal? Allow people to come here legally; pay fees to be health screened, background checked, and the associated administrative costs. If they can compete against born-here-Americans, then it would only cause America to remain great. Julian L. Simon laid out the case that people are a resource and that Economic Consequences of Immigration into the United States is a positive one on net.
Better yet, for those with border issues, try this idea of mine on for size.