Economic Insanity: The Open Borders = Wealth Argument
By Matt O'Brien November 20, 2019 No Comments
Market-oriented libertarians love to argue that if we just opened our borders to anyone who wants to live in the United States, everything would work out fine, and everyone would get rich in the process. Take, for example, Dr. Bryan Caplan’s recent article in Foreign Policy magazine. He claims that open borders are not only the fairest course of action, but are also “the most promising shortcut to global prosperity.†According to Dr. Caplan, “The world’s nations, especially the world’s richest nations, are missing an enormous chance to do well while doing good.â€
What’s the rationale underlying such extravagant claims? People are more productive in wealthy nations. For example, if you move a Haitian worker to the U.S., says Dr. Caplan, he/she immediately begins earning $25,000 per year as opposed to $1,000 per year. According to him, “The main reason Haitians suffer in poverty is not because they are from Haiti but because they are in Haiti. If you were stuck in Haiti, you, too, would probably be destitute.â€
https://www.immigrationreform.com/2019/11/20/mass-immigration-economy-impact-immigrationreform-com/
