What’s the liberal reasoning for why we should have borders at all? I understand having some “soft” boundaries so people can, say, choose to live in Illinois instead of Nebraska and have different tax structures or road rules, but “hard” borders don’t really make sense to me.
Borders to me seem like a barrier to a fundamental human right to be able to do the best you can for yourself and your family.
It’s easy for material goods to cross borders and extremely hard for humans.
I shouldn’t have to go through years of paperwork and jump through legal hoops to the point where immigration attorneys are needed if I just want to leave the U.S. and live in, say, Chile.
And don’t get me started on all of the wars and violence that occurs because there’s some imaginary line that says being born on one side gives you special privileges that the other side doesn’t. Because God forbid we trust humans the same no matter where they come from.
Kind of ranty because it’s late and I’m tired, but maybe if you can share how the liberal mind justifies these invisible lines that cause so much human misery and suffering then maybe I can some up with short answers & talking points to debunk their points.
Excellent question. If you dig a little, you will find three main justifications from their side for borders:
Avoiding crime. They are afraid that criminals from other countries might cross the border to commit “bad scary things.” Some engage in fearmongering by mentioning “terrorists.”
Protecting jobs. They worry that immigrants will arrive in large numbers and “steal” jobs from native residents.
Avoiding people who do not assimilate. They fear that many immigrants will come in, speak the national language poorly, and refuse to respect the culture.
I have tried to keep a soft tone, but quite frankly, I find these arguments quite bigoted, as well as factually incorrect. All of them have been thoroughly debunked, time and time again.
Research consistently shows immigrants do not increase crime rates, and in many cases, contribute to their decline.
Economically, immigrants fill essential labor gaps, pay taxes, and stimulate demand, often creating more jobs than they take.
Cultural diversity enriches societies, and most immigrants make genuine efforts to learn the language and adapt over time.
These fears are rooted more in prejudice and misinformation than in verifiable evidence.
why would you – a newer user without a reputation – do this