An open mind about open borders

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t almost goes without saying that immigration is a topical issue; all that’s required for you to see how much it has re-surfaced to the forefront of current affairs is to turn on your TV or Google ‘UKIP’. But while it is an area clouded by media coverage and voter appeasement, it is also a subject of genuine debate within which the notion of open borders in particular is perhaps the most controversial.

The arguments against open borders are similar to the arguments against general immigration. For instance, opponents argue that if we allow ‘swamps’ of unskilled immigrants into a state, it could compromise both the identity and economic development of the country in question.

Some would also question the extent to which free movement is a right, as the right of one person imposes obligation on another.

If any given person has the right to enter a country, who is obliged to grant their request?

However, there are also some assumption the ‘against’ argument makes that are worth questioning.

Open borders would not necessarily lead to certain countries being flooded, as many would choose not to move, or the levels of immigration from one side to another may balance out.

Arguments that immigration controls always aim to exclude particular distinct groups are arbitrary. Countries themselves are relatively new, artificial features of civilisation compared to the trend of migration and so perhaps should not be seen as fixed.

My final argument may sit best with anarchists. Opponents of strict border controls point out that human rights are universal, not dependent on ideas of belonging or state-recognised citizenship.

Freedom of association is an inalienable right that includes crossing international borders.

I find valid points in both sides of the debate but what I find more interesting is that it reveals facts about human relations while holding the potential to shake up the way we’re used to seeing the world. Will our current system of states and borders anaemia a feature of our global society forever, or are they merely a historical phase?

Whatever the case the most important thing is to look at every argument as honestly as possible – something that can no doubt be tricky in politics.
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Photo: Flickr/rumali