When did we start regulating national borders? How universal is border regulation? Describe two push and pull factors of migration. What economic effect does immigration have? What is one moral argument presented for not regulating migration?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

but could include that movement was free as late as the end of the nineteenth century. About 50 million people left Europe for the United States between 1820 and the end of the nineteenth century, and prior to 1880, entry into the United States was largely unregulated—virtually anyone who wanted to could get in. It was World War I that changed attitudes and the situation dramatically; nation-states began to impose drastic restrictions on the global movement of people. Today, while there is variation among nation-states, “there is not a single state that allows free access to all immigrants.” Among the push factors are the desire of migrants for better or safer lives; problems in the home country, such as unemployment and low pay, making it difficult or impossible for migrants to achieve their goals; and major disruptions such as war, famine, political and religious persecution, and economic depression. Pull factors include features of the host country such as it being a nation at peace and having a favorable immigration policy, a prosperous economy, higher pay and lower unemployment, available food, formal and informal networks that cater to immigrants, labor shortages, and language and culture similar to those of the home country. Economically, immigration has had positive—not negative—effects on the economies of the United States and other developed nations. There are two basic moral arguments in support of freer migration. First, as an end in itself, free mobility is “a universal and basic human right.” Second, instrumentally, free migration is a means of achieving greater economic and political justice.