Who cares about illegal immigration?
First, some of you may know me as Wolfe. There are some technical issues with the site that I would like to discuss with the operator that have forced me into using a new account. Now, moving on to the meat of my argument.
I am a purist libertarian. I support the ideals that are driven purely from the NAP. Therefore, theoretically, I am supposed to support open borders. I won't bother to describe why, because, either you know and don't care, or do know and agree with that position.
I am opposed to LEGAL immigration far more than illegal immigration and here is why.
With illegal immigration, the jobs are relegated to work that US citizens don't want, and don't care about because of the various legal hurdles currently present. Who wants to pick their own tomatoes?
But legal immigration is the real threat. And let's look at the H1B program. I haven't worked in a shop without H1B folks in almost 10 years, even while I know qualified folks looking for work. This is a temporary worker program, supposed to cover short term worker shortages. But the reality is, it provides cheaper, and usually less qualified external labor for companies. Unlike illegal workers, they are are allowed to take US citizen jobs at will, legally.
Why is this position not opposed to my libertarian ideals of 100% open borders? Simple. It is a one way street. If I can't migrate to a country of my choosing, without penalty or restrictions, why should we hobble those who are already here. To choose open borders for ourselves, we must expect the same of competing countries. If we don't, we are simply imposing a condition on ourselves that limits our effectiveness in the marketplace.
There was a time in my field that we didn't have to deal with H1B. During this time, companies were willing to hire folks that were slightly out of their expertise and train them. They also provided ongoing out-of-expertise training during employment. Now, they hire, most usually, less than quality individuals on H1B instead of locally sourcing the work.
My last 4 jobs included a number of less than qualified H1B people, while I personally knew qualified people available for work. So why did the companies choose H1B applicants? Tall promises, shorted income expense, and no real delivery.
Why is this argument libertarian? One way streets aren't libertarian. Abiding by rules that the rest of the world doesn't follow is simply crippling. Until I am allowed to go t Ireland on a work permit, why should Indians be allowed to come here on a work permit?
We have talented and smart people in the US. To look outside of the US, when we are struggling as individuals is just laziness on the part of corporations.
Edit: If you agree or disagree please say so in the comments. Discussion makes us all smarter. If you read what I write, and hate it, try to convince me. If you love it, explain why. We don't grow in a vacuum.