I believe in open borders. And by that, I mean that people should be free to enter into any country they want. Governments seem intent on advocating for free trade, which gives inanimate objects more freedom than people have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
As you can imagine, a lot of people disagree with me. And as I\u2019ve discussed this issue with others, I\u2019ve noticed 4 common arguments in favour of border control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One argument is that undocumented residents take jobs away from people who were born in the country. This doesn\u2019t even make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who immigrate to a country increase jobs, regardless of whether they have documentation. People consume, and increased consumption increases demand, which leads to increased production: more jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undocumented residents buy food. They buy clothes. They buy gas. All of which require jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They live in houses, which must be built. They use schools, which must be built and staffed. They use clinics and hospitals, libraries and pools, roads and buses, all of which require jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undocumented residents don\u2019t steal jobs; they create them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, another rationalization people use to advocate for stricter border control is that undocumented residents are a burden on the tax system. They claim that these residents don\u2019t pay taxes and live off government welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undocumented residents contribute to the economy, so they help create revenue for the government. They pay taxes every time they purchase something that has a sales tax attached to it. And, of course, undocumented residents work; if they didn\u2019t, people wouldn\u2019t claim they stole jobs. You can\u2019t steal jobs while also not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And even if we assume they don\u2019t pay payroll taxes and deductions, that\u2019s because the system is set up to discourage them from paying them and their employers from deducting them. If undocumented residents were able to get a social insurance number (or a social security number in the States), then this aspect wouldn\u2019t be an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third argument pro-border people use is that undocumented workers keep wages low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Except it\u2019s not the workers keeping wages low; it\u2019s the business owners employing them. And they do it because they know they won\u2019t complain about the low wages, for fear of deportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If all residents, regardless of documentation, could get paid the same, could pay the same deductions, and could enjoy the same benefits, wages wouldn\u2019t stay low. Business owners hire undocumented workers on purpose. Go after them, not the people trying to eke out a loving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, another common argument I see is that undocumented residents will raise the crime rate. This is just false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vast majority of crime committed in Canada is by people born in Canada; immigrants are seriously underrepresented in Canadian prisons. In addition, as Canada\u2019s immigration rate has been rising over the last few decades, the crime rate has been dropping. In fact, the longer immigrants live in Canada, the lower the crime rate<\/a> becomes where they live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re so worried about crime rates, then kick out the people who are born here; they\u2019re the ones who commit most of the crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who have recently moved here are too busy working, paying taxes, and supporting their families to have the time and resources to commit crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n