ALVARO VARGAS LLOSA is a Senior Fellow of The Center on Global Prosperity at the Independent Institute, who has been a nationally syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group and among his books, Liberty for Latin America, received the Sir Anthony Fisher International Memorial Award for its contribution to the cause of freedom in 2006 and Lessons from the Poor: Triumph of the Entrepreneurial Spirit was awarded the Templeton Freedom Award (2010). He was appointed Young Global Leader 2007 by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. READ MORE »

Migration has been happening, in varying forms, for millennia but it still elicits fear and mistrust, and not just on the part of the “receiving” society. Communities from where people migrate often disapprove of the migrants' decision and consider it treacherous. The recent reawakening of the debate about migration in the new millennium has evoked intense emotion particularly in the United States and Europe.

Global Crossings cuts through the jungle of myth, falsehood and misrepresentation that dominates the debate, clarifying the causes and consequences of human migration. Why do millions of people continue to risk their lives, and oftentimes lose it, in the pursuit of a chance to establish themselves in a foreign land?

The book first looks at the immigrant experience, which connects the present to the past, and America to the rest of the world, and explores who migrants are and why they move. The conduct of migrants today is no different than that of migrants in the past. And contrary to the claims by immigration critics, the patterns of contemporary migration do not differ fundamentally from those of other epochs.

Global Crossings then discusses immigration regarding culture. To what degree are foreigners culturally different? Can natives adapt? Can immigrants assimilate into the new society? In assessing whether critics are justified in pointing to a major cultural shift Alvaro Vargas Llosa reviews such topics as religion, education, entrepreneurial spirit, and attitudes toward the receiving society.
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“This compelling book is a must read for anyone on the vital yet contentious issue of immigration. Global Crossings puts a personal face on the issue, superbly arguing that restrictions on the basis of accident of birthplace have no economic or social justification, and in the hands of government are a dangerous infringement on individual liberty and human well-being.”
—Daniel L. McFadden, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences; E. Morris Cox Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley

“Alvaro Vargas Llosa's timing is as superb as his book, which lands smack in the middle of a feverish Washington debate over America's most recent arrivals. Our current immigration policies have contributed to labor shortages; created thriving markets in human smuggling and document fraud; and left us with 11 million-plus illegal aliens. . . . What recommends Global Crossings is that it offers a thoughtful critique of the restrictionists from the standpoint of a fellow conservative. . . . In our time, America's nativist strain found expression in Samuel Huntington's 2004 bestseller, Who Are We? The late Harvard political scientist updated the "past immigrants were good, current immigrants are bad" argument for the 21st century. . . . Mr. Vargas Llosa is having none of this, and Global Crossings presents considerable evidence to counter the claims that America isn't absorbing new immigrants as it absorbed old ones. . . . Mr. Vargas Llosa's primary focus is U.S. immigration policy, but he uses international comparisons to show how immigration has benefited other countries as well. . . . Immigrants are drawn, first and foremost, to economic opportunity in the U.S., writes Mr. Vargas Llosa. . . . Mr. Vargas Llosa says that our policy makers should focus on keeping the right incentives in place to attract and integrate immigrants rather than stanching the flow.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization, and America is a much needed antidote to the hysterical drivel that dominates the debate over immigration reform. The book demonstrates how important it is to adapt our immigration policy to the needs of our economy and to welcome those who will make a genuine contribution to our future prosperity. America’s success as an immigrant nation is in danger from those who would close our borders out of fear and ignorance. Global Crossings dispels both.”
—Linda L. Chavez, former Director, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

“Global Crossings dispels the myths over the crucial yet divisive issue of immigration. As a nation of immigrants, America has been enriched economically and culturally from these new arrivals, and Vargas Llosa shows why our future will depend on continuing to advance a welcoming immigration policy.”
—Stephen Moore, former Senior Economist, U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee; Founding President, Club for Growth; author, Who’s the Fairest of Them All? The Truth about Opportunity, Taxes, and Wealth in America

“Why do people migrate? What motivates people to go from one country to another? Álvaro Vargas Llosa responds to these vital questions in his new book Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization, and America. He leads us on a valuable tour of immigration throughout the world and then focuses on aspects of the history of immigration in the U.S. The book highlights the role of immigrants in the development of nations, throwing overboard the myth that immigrants cost more than they provide or take away the jobs of citizens. Vargas Llosa encourages an ‘open mind’ which supports national policies that assimilate the cultural richness of immigrant groups and also fights against the criminalization of migration.”
—Vicente Fox, former President, Republic of Mexico

“Vargas Llosa’s brilliant, scholarly book Global Crossings brings down the temperature of the immigration debate. In prose filled with analysis and stories, statistics and history, he shows that ‘Hispanic’ immigrants are nothing new—not ‘barbarians’ but future Americans. Theologically speaking, faith is a backward-looking identity, where you come from. Hope is the forward-looking project of your life, the answer to Quo vadis? Which way for America? For their benefit in every way, Americans need to be hopeful citizens of the world, as they have been. Vargas Llosa sees America in terms of hope, not faith, a ‘credo,’ as he puts it, of progress, not a catechism of nationalism. Long may Global Crossings flourish. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door.”
—Deirdre N. McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, and English, University of Illinois at Chicago

“Using facts, history, logic and his own personal experiences, Alvaro Vargas Llosa vividly demonstrates why immigration is almost always economically, culturally and morally beneficial. Global Crossings is an essential and highly readable, even riveting, tour de force.”
—Richard K. Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Ohio University

“At a time when there is much hyperbole and hysteria about immigrants and immigration policy, Alvaro Vargas Llosa’s path-breaking book Global Crossings delivers much needed level-headed insights into the nature of migration and the ramifications for the United States as a nation. Immigration is an immutable part of the American story and Vargas Llosa’s contributions to the conversation are important, not just for exploring socioeconomic dynamics, but for providing a window into the personal experiences that are often lost in the larger debate.”
—Mario H. Lopez, President, Hispanic Leadership Fund

Alvaro Vargas Llosa on the Immigration Debate on WSJ Opinion Journal
May 29, 2013

Alvaro Vargas Llosa on Newsmax TV
June 3, 2013

Alvaro Vargas Llosa on The New Republic TV (TNRtv) with Ben Eisler - discusses Zelaya and Chavez, as well as changes in Argentine leadership
June 30, 2009

Alvaro Vargas Llosa discusses Venezuela's terrorist connections with Syria and Iran on Fox News “The Sean Hannity Show”
July 18, 2010

Alvaro Vargas Llosa discusses the rise of the Latin America left on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS
April 29, 2005

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