Debate Desk
Does Being a Nation of Immigrants Mean America Should Have Open Borders?
America welcomed immigrants through laws, inspections and limits from the first Congress on; being a nation of immigrants is half the sentence.
The claim
Everyone in America, except those descended from the first peoples, came from somewhere else. A country built by immigrants, say its defenders, has no right to close the door behind its own ancestors, and the Statue of Liberty's welcome should govern how we treat newcomers.
The answer in three points
- Welcoming immigrants and regulating them have never been opposites. The first Congress passed a uniform rule of naturalization in 1790, and every generation since has set terms for entry. The fact that our ancestors came does not mean they came without limits.
- The aim of immigration policy is a country that can absorb newcomers, teach them its language and civic habits, and turn them into citizens. Assimilation worked in the past in part because numbers rose and fell, giving time to integrate. A policy of unlimited entry removes the pause that lets the nation's institutions keep up.
- The distinction between legal and illegal entry matters especially to those who came lawfully. People who went through the process, paid fees, learned the civics and took the oath are the ones most insulted when the law is treated as optional.
The country's story is one of invitation with conditions. The conditions have changed, and the debate over what they should be now is a healthy one. A person who wants to join the American family should be able to, through a door that is open, orderly and fair, and the door should have a lock for those who would enter another way.
The numbers
- The Naturalization Act of 1790 set a uniform rule for becoming a citizen, according to the text passed by the first Congress.
- The Immigration Act of 1924 introduced national-origin quotas that stayed in place until 1965, according to the Department of State's Office of the Historian.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reports that more than 900,000 people were naturalized as citizens in fiscal 2022, among the highest annual totals on record.
What they will say next
"The poem on the statue says give us your tired and poor." The poem was added to the pedestal years after the statue was conceived, and the statue was a gift from France that celebrates liberty. America has taken in more immigrants than any country, and it has done so under law.
"Our ancestors came without papers." Many came before there were papers to hold, or arrived through Ellis Island, where officials turned people away for disease and other reasons. Stories of family arrivals are moving and do not decide policy.
"Immigrants make the country stronger." Most of them do, and that is why a lawful, selective system that attracts the skills the country needs is worth building.
"Closing the border is un-American." Every country on earth has one. The question is whether it is run with fairness, generosity and order.