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525 points alex77456 | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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prmph ◴[] No.45389904[source]
I don't know what western countries are thinking. The concept of an isolated nation state is fast approaching obsolescence. Very soon, it will be clear that it is meaningless to put strong restrictions on the free movement of people. And history shows that an emphasis on keeping people out is a precursor to the decline of an empire.

One thing I never understand: if people want to come to your country, that is a vote for the idea that you are doing something right. So, why not use for good? Why not designate a area of the country for the immigrants to initially settle in, using your laws and structures to provide them a better way to live? They are usually very hungry to work. Or, why not band up with other countries to establish refuge cities where the immigrants can initially settle and build new lives?

You never hear of the US etc investing in infrastructure in African countries, for e.g., it is always about a militarization effort to contain supposed terrorists.

Keeping people out betrays that your "success" is built on the back of exfiltrating resources from around the world and concentrating it in your countries, thus keeping the rest of the world poor.

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basisword ◴[] No.45389963[source]
There are many legal routes to immigration and seeking asylum. People choose to move illegally because they won’t succeed on the legal routes and know that once they’re in the country the chance of them being deported is pretty low.
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array_key_first ◴[] No.45390090[source]
The legal routes are also often strenuous, far too long lived, overly strict, and obtuse.

If you barely speak the language, it's not easy. Unfortunately many countries have made immigration so hard, in an effort to combat it, that they've done the opposite - people immigrate illegally because it has a higher success rate than doing it legally.

If I apply for X, Y, and Z and I'm denied, I'm fucked. But if I just move... And then figure it out later... That might work better.

And that's how we got into this mess. A lot of this anti-immigration legislation actually increases the incentives for illegal immigration.

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1. prmph ◴[] No.45390341[source]
Exactly, and one more thing: because of draconian immigration regimes, once people sneak in, they are extremely unlikely to move out until they get some sort of residence, which may never come. If it was easier to get in, people will come and go as needed, and you wouldn't have massive numbers of people coming and not leaving. There are many irregular immigrants that are stuck in their new countries for decades, unable to move anywhere else at all; many even die without seeing their homeland again.

In all countries there are posh, elite, nice areas, and yet you don't see everybody moving into those areas until there is no standing room. There is a natural equilibrium that is effective.

So overly tough immigration policies actually exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration in this way as well.