Summary: Americans have mixed feelings about immigration, supporting both pathways to citizenship and mass deportations. They want democratic control over immigration policies, reflecting their principles rather than personal experiences. To maintain a welcoming stance on immigration, the system needs to align more closely with the public’s democratic will.
throughout their history, Americans have collectively shaped immigration policy to create the kind of country they wanted (View Highlight)
America’s democratic polity collectively chose who to admit and who to exclude. Whether restrictive or liberal, the shaping of population inflows was always an act of democratic will. (View Highlight)
a nation, fundamentally, is an exclusive club. A democratic nation is one where everybody in the club gets a vote as to who else gets added. But there are still gates, and there are still gatekeepers. (View Highlight)
nation-states are the only workable arrangement for providing public goods and political stability that humankind has discovered in the modern era. And borders are an essential, inalienable part of what it means to be a nation-state. (View Highlight)
change America’s immigration system to make it more congruent with the democratic will. The asylum loophole should be abolished — crossing the border illegally should not be rewarded with the chance to stay in the country while awaiting an asylum hearing. (View Highlight)