Government’s policies are in general a reflection of the best interest of the people who run the government. In democracies where the rulers have to get reelected the policy advocated by the elected officials is therefore something of a reflection of the hopes and fears of the voting population. People who vote don’t like change and they don’t like strangers. These two “don’t like” statements are the cause xenophobic anti-immigrant laws.
Historically there was a good reason for sovereign states to restrict migration. Ethics are not as absolute over time as we are often led to believe. Societies create and adjust their ethics to maximize the survival of the group. The old rules were written to maximize the number of new members that survived childhood since this was the critical issue in the groups survival. During times of shortage, which includes most of recorded history, not letting new people into the group was one of the ways to maximize the probability of children surviving. Less people to share with meant more for the people in the group and a probability of healthier offspring. This explains the historic rational root of xenophobia.
Fortunately this old reality is changing. We are, although it is sometimes hard to see, entering a period of worldwide surplus caused by decreasing birthrates and improved technologies and we are adjusting our ethics to this new reality. Test this thesis by applying it to women’s rights, gays and societies changing rules regarding birth control and reproductive rights. For instance two hundred years ago it was illegal to sell birth control of any type in most countries now condoms are handed out as government policy in much of the world. Even though many religions still oppose their use. This change happened because people wanted a better life and they saw that less babies was one path to that better life. They changed their ethics about birth control.
Societies that survive and thrive in the future will be those that attract and welcome immigrants. New immigrants create growth they bring new ideas and introduce variety into everything from food to architecture. But in the same way that groups have resisted changing the other ethics mentioned above they resist immigration. Many people in our society are stuck with the old shortage mentality. The mentality that says that more people in our group means less for each of us. It is our task to help change this out dated mindset so that the good life we live can be shared by all of the world’s people.
For more information on the Right to Migrate visit radicalmigration.com