We show that, in light of the overall economic consequences of immigration, every major ethical theory finds that existing immigration restrictions are unjust. Immigration restrictions do not fall into the special circumstances where philosophers have argued that there is an independent duty to obey the law. Thus, we conclude that it is ethical for people and businesses to interact with illegal immigrants in violation of the law.
Benjamin Powell is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University.
Jason Brennan is Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Business and EntrepreneurshipEconomic PolicyEconomyImmigrationLaw and Liberty
Other Independent Review articles by Benjamin Powell
Summer 2024 No Sweat?: Living Standards and Sweatshop Wages in Developing Countries
Winter 2017/18 Raveling the Immigration Narrative
Spring 2016 Dynamics of Intervention in the War on Drugs
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Other Independent Review articles by Jason Brennan
Fall 2024 Robert Nozick and the Moral High Ground