Open Borders, For or Against? A Debate with Mark Krikorian and Bryan Caplan

Immigration is one of the most contested issues of our time. How are the rights of the citizens of a country to be balanced against the rights of those wishing, for whatever reason, to move to that country? What are the economic factors involved, and how should they be weighed in the formation of public policy? And how far if at all is immigration legitimately viewed as a cultural phenomenon?
Mark Krikorian (Center for Immigration Studies) will exchange views with Bryan Caplan (Economics, George Mason University)
Sponsored by the Political Economy Project, the Rockefeller Center, and the Daniel Webster Project.

[@smokeysmith1282]

Bryan is clearly the superior debater here which proves once again that great debaters are winners regardless of the facts or principle.

[@bradleywendt2740]

Great debate! No mud slinging, no name calling. This is the kind of discussion and dialogue our congress needs to engage in!

[@chicago618]

The debate starts at 6:38

[@PREEProject]

wrong! it starts at 3:49

[@chicago618]

@@PREEProject well you’re not right either. It starts when he actually speaks at around 4:20. Don’t know why I stamped it at 6:38

[@charlesnicholson7539]

@@chicago618 Well, you’re not right either. It starts at 4:20 and ends at 69:00.

[@chicago618]

@@charlesnicholson7539 did you not read the part where I corrected myself and in fact say 4:20? Did you?

[@lindamcdermott2205]

Quite entertaining! Obviously we need to move in the middle direction. The speakers each have valid points. Our biggest problem now is illegal immigration. They do not respect our country. What we want are good citizens who love this country. We can certainly use some immigrants that feel this way! In fact, it would be good if some of our lazy thieving citizens could be dumped out, being replaced with conscientious immigrants! There has to be an enforceable system of borders and immigration to ensure a prosperous nation. Lets get the people who want work and education.

[@ulisesplarocher9761]

True

[@firstlast9916]

If your standard is to keep people that want to work then at least 80% of Americans don’t qualify to be here. And 80% of immigrants would qualify. So to achieve your goal then start deporting Americans and stop blocking immigrants.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

​@@firstlast9916 "A decade ago, Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman admonished the Wall Street Journal for its idée fixe on open-border immigration policy. "It's just obvious you can't have free immigration and a welfare state," he warned.'

[@firstlast9916]

I’m all for eliminating the welfare state. Especially social security. Government really does not serve a useful purpose to anybody but politicians.

[@sambennett2319]

You claim illegal immigrants do not care about this country. Can you provide some evidence?

[@tHYRR3N]

I never heard of Kirokian before, but what he said sounded more sensable to me

[@firstlast9916]

Blocking hard working people from entering the country and keeping lazy Americans here is sensible?

[@firstlast9916]

Krikorian ignores all statistics on the benefits of immigration. He does not really care that immigrants benefits society. He doesn’t like them near him.

[@yang8244]

Wasnt an equal fight. Bryans arguments were concise and well explained, unfortunately i cant say the same about his opponent.

[@fikamonster2564]

good debate on both sides, altough i agree with bryan caplan

[@Mr.Robot-E-Corp]

Bruh I need this for nsda but now it is too late KZbin!

[@Ton369]

Why doesn't Israel have open borders then?

[@firstlast9916]

They do practically. Much more Arabs in Israel than Israelis in Palestine. Which country would you rather move to?

[@Ton369]

@@firstlast9916 uhm. they have a very large fence sir

[@firstlast9916]

@@Ton369 yes. With a door. 21% of the population in Israel is Arab. the US has no door. You have to go through the desert.

[@Ton369]

@@firstlast9916 the under 18 population of the usa is 50% non-white

[@Ton369]

@@firstlast9916 My goal is to make israel 50% non jewish too

[@paulerdosdaughter]

I am surprised they managed to avoid the racial side of immigration and its impact on the overall health of society. Maybe its because it's a taboo topic.

[@davism3800]

@@zacharyehrenreich801 Recognized by whom? 'Race' is often used interchangeably with 'ethnicity' and there are thousands of ethnic groups in the world.

[@divinegon4671]

@@zacharyehrenreich801most people do NOT think “hey, there are only 3 races”

[@firstlast9916]

Society has health? Like mental health? The biggest problem with mental health are smart phones. Not the fact that your neighbor speaks Chinese.

[@JCResDoc94]

*huh. so we can have global open borders w nearly nothing changing, pretty much. how bout that?* ok, lets do that. lil bit at a time. _JC

[@firstlast9916]

Greatest increase in the standard of living of our species was when we had open border. Interesting how freedom of movement increases prosperity for the planet.

[@thomasahouston9697]

Mark’s comment about mowing you own lawn reveals his utter lack of understanding of economics, statistics, and data. Should I also build my own house? Better yet, chop the trees down too? Specialization, Mark, c’mon.

[@HonoredeBalzac-ou1jl]

I may not know much, but I know that whether you mow your lawn or not has nothing to do with "statistics"

[@hide_and_go_sikh]

It's a complicated issue and I can see the positives and negatives from a multitude of perspectives.

[@1980bwc]

There's nothing complicated about it, because there are no positive benefits whatsoever, that stem from having wide open borders. Legal immigration has many positive benefits. In order for people from other countries to come here, and keep our country safe from international terrorists, every single person who comes in, has to be vetted. Its impossible to do that with a wide open border.

[@firstlast9916]

There were no negatives from open borders for 100,000 years. Freedom of movement is the standard and politicians convinced us that people should not be free to move in the last 100 years.

[@johnkosowski3321]

Bryan crushed it.

[@ethanstroup7394]

I agree with the open borders guy

[@anac4950]

Mark was the adult in the room

[@firstlast9916]

Mark literally said that doctors should mow their own lawns instead of hire an immigrant to do it. That is the level mark is at. He is a child.

[@HonoredeBalzac-ou1jl]

@@firstlast9916 I'm sure you would never think of doing such a thing?

[@firstlast9916]

I hire immigrants all the time. Just like you do everytime you buy something at a supermarket. Your purchases pay for their labor. Open the borders back up already. They were wide open for 100,000 years. No need to close them.

[@bonanzadavid]

My jaw dropped when I heard that doctors are supposedly lazy for not mowing their lawns. This guy is pretty ignorant about economics.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

All libertarians seem to think or care about is economics. It obviously is important and has alot to tell us. However I think it's not enough

[@firstlast9916]

What else is there? Sustaining your own life is way more important than anything else you do. If you can’t sustain yourself, then how would you even be able to care about anything else?

[@deanhettig1920]

Bryan for the Win! This argument that the whole world would move here is immigration was truly free is a complete fallacy 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@bplewis88]

TRUMP2024 Ooo-Raaah...

[@TH-fv6fr]

Krikorian is the adult. Why take an immense beautiful mansion built with centuries of blood and sweat and talent and let anyone on the street move in and turn it to crap? Libertarians have an impoverished cartoon -like conception of culture.

[@michaelhutchings6602]

A nation is not a house. Give an actual argument.

[@silverice-cv4ob]

@@michaelhutchings6602 OP laid out an argument. Now you provide an appropriate rebuttal. House being a metaphor for the homeland is correct if you have an IQ above room temperature.

[@ryanthan3595]

@@silverice-cv4ob using ad hominem to encourage a rebuttal, you are in no place to say anything bud.

[@1080lights]

@@silverice-cv4ob I have the ability to prevent certain weapons being brought into my house, prevent certain religions from being practiced in my house, prevent certain types of food being consumed in my house, etc. Are you going to be consistent in principle and extend the analogy fully? Does the state have the power to enforce all of these things? Or do you only use this idiotic comparison when it's convenient to your own views?

[@tHYRR3N]

@@1080lightsa nation should and do do all of those things