I also offer for your consideration the explanation of the Libertarian Party of their immigration position calling for open borders with the exception of security risks. The enumerated policy in the platform of the Libertarian Party is number 3.4.
The two reasons that people do not welcome immigrants is that they feel that immigrants steal jobs and "steal" government services (like education, and healthcare). It is my understanding that Libertarians believe that the actual roots of the immigration problems are the existence of the minimum wage and the existence of unconstitutional government services. Libertarians would remove the minimum wage which would mean that immigrants would be taking jobs that Americans don't want to take, and would result in the American economy actually being more competitive as the result of cheap labor. Libertarians would also get rid of those unconstitutional government services so that there would be no government services to "steal". That way immigrants would only be a boon to the economy, and wouldn't be taking anything from existing Americans.
Following is an excerpt from an email response sent to a friend who was encouraging me to vote for a candidate best known for developing one of the harshest (perhaps the harshest) policy against illegal immigrants in the nation. The "Church" mentioned is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
I was wondering if you're aware of the Church's recent statements on
immigration. The Church has taken a lot of flak over the past year for
making a lot of statements pleading for a compassionate solution: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Here's the Utah Compact. I signed it!
Last week I actually came up to Utah to volunteer for the Gary Johnson presidential campaign at least until April. Politically, I'm Libertarian-leaning (I don't agree with everything that Libertarians believe). I believe very strongly in free markets, and limited government. I also believe that the Libertarian platform is the best embodiment of Elder Oaks' CES Fireside on truth and tolerance (skip to 15:43 to hear him, although if you're LDS and single then you don't want to miss Sister Oaks' talk which precedes his!) from this past Sunday. Government is a very different body from a church. Churches enforce morals and standards. Government CANNOT impose morals and standards on people (or they just resent and rebel against it and the affront to their dignity), and MUST exercise tolerance for people's choices and give them free will to make those choices except when those choices injure others. I think that Mosiah 29:26-34 explains this concept extremely well. Mosiah was concerned because having a king relieved the people somewhat from the responsibility of making their own choices and governing themselves. The more freedom that people have, the more agency, growth, and self-responsibility is available to them. People today are unfortunately clamoring for a "king". A government to make decisions for them, and to relieve them of their individual responsibilities to provide for themselves. The Libertarian party restores people's responsibilities for themselves.
People dislike immigrants because they believe that immigrants steal jobs and steal services (in other words, that we have to pay for the educations and medical services that they receive). Libertarians believe that the solution to immigration is to eliminate government services (no public education, no public healthcare, no welfare, no unemployment checks, no social security), and to eliminate the minimum wage. Immigrants will therefore only be a boon to our economy and produce no drag — there won't be any services for them to "steal", and they'll only be taking jobs that Americans wouldn't take because the pay was too low, which will make things cheaper for us and help our economy to be more competitive. Immigrants will only stay if they find jobs. Otherwise, they'll naturally leave of their own accord to find better opportunities elsewhere. (See the Libertarian platform here.)
As a Spanish-speaking missionary serving in New Mexico and Texas, it was heart-breaking for me to watch families separated by immigration issues, or to live in squalor because they were illegal and lived in fear, unable to live openly and publicly. Many of the members of our wards worked for the border patrol. They simply asked us as missionaries to never tell them who was illegal, because it was their duty to extradite illegals. They harbored no ill will towards illegals. It was just their job to enforce the border. Many of the border patrol agents openly stated that if it were them and their own families on the other side of the border, that they would likewise do anything that they had to in order to try to bring their families to the United States and the better opportunities here — including crossing the border illegally. I believe that the Church is asking us to see things the same way. To know that it could just as easily be us and our loved ones trapped in Mexico, surrounded by corruption, violence, and murder caused by drug cartels. Those illegal immigrants are our brothers and sisters.
Last week I actually came up to Utah to volunteer for the Gary Johnson presidential campaign at least until April. Politically, I'm Libertarian-leaning (I don't agree with everything that Libertarians believe). I believe very strongly in free markets, and limited government. I also believe that the Libertarian platform is the best embodiment of Elder Oaks' CES Fireside on truth and tolerance (skip to 15:43 to hear him, although if you're LDS and single then you don't want to miss Sister Oaks' talk which precedes his!) from this past Sunday. Government is a very different body from a church. Churches enforce morals and standards. Government CANNOT impose morals and standards on people (or they just resent and rebel against it and the affront to their dignity), and MUST exercise tolerance for people's choices and give them free will to make those choices except when those choices injure others. I think that Mosiah 29:26-34 explains this concept extremely well. Mosiah was concerned because having a king relieved the people somewhat from the responsibility of making their own choices and governing themselves. The more freedom that people have, the more agency, growth, and self-responsibility is available to them. People today are unfortunately clamoring for a "king". A government to make decisions for them, and to relieve them of their individual responsibilities to provide for themselves. The Libertarian party restores people's responsibilities for themselves.
People dislike immigrants because they believe that immigrants steal jobs and steal services (in other words, that we have to pay for the educations and medical services that they receive). Libertarians believe that the solution to immigration is to eliminate government services (no public education, no public healthcare, no welfare, no unemployment checks, no social security), and to eliminate the minimum wage. Immigrants will therefore only be a boon to our economy and produce no drag — there won't be any services for them to "steal", and they'll only be taking jobs that Americans wouldn't take because the pay was too low, which will make things cheaper for us and help our economy to be more competitive. Immigrants will only stay if they find jobs. Otherwise, they'll naturally leave of their own accord to find better opportunities elsewhere. (See the Libertarian platform here.)
As a Spanish-speaking missionary serving in New Mexico and Texas, it was heart-breaking for me to watch families separated by immigration issues, or to live in squalor because they were illegal and lived in fear, unable to live openly and publicly. Many of the members of our wards worked for the border patrol. They simply asked us as missionaries to never tell them who was illegal, because it was their duty to extradite illegals. They harbored no ill will towards illegals. It was just their job to enforce the border. Many of the border patrol agents openly stated that if it were them and their own families on the other side of the border, that they would likewise do anything that they had to in order to try to bring their families to the United States and the better opportunities here — including crossing the border illegally. I believe that the Church is asking us to see things the same way. To know that it could just as easily be us and our loved ones trapped in Mexico, surrounded by corruption, violence, and murder caused by drug cartels. Those illegal immigrants are our brothers and sisters.
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