Salon Description:
Immigration policy has been the focus on increasingly heated debates in the U.S. the past few years. Policymakers face difficult questions regarding the treatment of Central American migrants at the southern border, whether to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently residing in the country, as well as whether to create a “merit-based” immigration system. A fundamental question underlying these issues is whether legitimate states have a moral right to control their borders. In this PPE salon, led by Professor Douglas MacKay, we discuss the moral defensibility and economic relevance of national borders, focusing on Michael Blake’s recently published article, “What is the Border For?” Blake, a leading thinker on the ethical dimensions of immigration policy, suggests that borders can secure three types of goods: decolonization, social solidarity, and insurance against risk.