Libertarian perspectives on immigration


The libertarian perspective on immigration is often regarded as one of the core concepts of libertarian theory and philosophy. Some libertarians assert that "fforts by the government to manage the labor market are as apt to fail as similar efforts to protect domestic industries or orchestrate industrial policy. If an immigrant seeks to engage in peaceful, voluntary transactions that do not threaten the freedom or security of the native-born, the government should not interfere".

Libertarian proponents of free immigration

has promoted illegal immigration as being a key part of the counter-economy.
Libertarian author Jacob Hornberger, a proponent of freer immigration policies, argues that open borders is the only libertarian immigration position.
Others have argued that a policy of open borders would run counter to many Libertarian objectives.
Jeffrey Tucker, Director of Content at the Foundation for Economic Education, has been critical of the closed-border arguments made by conservative-leaning libertarians:
This is a huge debate among people who otherwise swear fealty to "limited government." Many people who claim to want freedom seem to have no problem with the implications of a closed-border policy: national IDs, national work permits, non-stop surveillance, harassment of all businesses, a "papers please" culture, mass deportation, tens of billions in waste, bureaucrats wrecking the American dream, broken families, the rights of Americans and foreigners transgressed at every turn.