Closed and Open Borders for Migration and Economy

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Table of Contents

Analysis
Recommendations
References

Open borders constitute a system allowing people to pass through the barriers without necessarily having documents or being checked. On the contrary, closed borders tend to limit the movement of people between two countries, with exemptions for those adequately documented. The impact of open borders during the Covid-19 period results in migration which tends to help migrants and asylum seekers find vaccines. Getting vaccinated helps curb the spread and reduce the number of deaths brought about by the virus. With open borders, people can leave and work where they please, thus promoting the country’s economic growth. The United States will benefit from opening its borders by allowing air transport to the destinations that were banned previously. Closed borders affect the economy by interfering with international trade. During this Covid-19 period, secure borders get implemented to curb the spread of the virus to protect the public. Exceptions need to be made regarding safeguarding fundamental rights, especially for migrants and asylum seekers. Implementing a closed or open border policy has its benefits and drawbacks, which relate to the legal and illegal migrants, asylum seekers, and the country’s economy.

Analysis

Impact of Closed and Open Borders on the Migrants and Asylum Seekers

The United States implemented a ban, thus closing its borders to citizens from regions with spiking Covid-19 cases. The move is to prevent them from coming and infecting the local citizens. Currently, the number of immigrants in the United States is increasing rapidly, with the majority being Hispanics, commonly political refugees (Clemens, 2022). The United States border agents are reporting a surge in the number of illegal migrants, estimated to be 1000 people in a single day (Dutt & Kohfeldt, 2019). Social problems these migrants and immigrants face include employment, education, poverty, and housing. America has border policies that state the illegality of any person immigrating to the United States in unlawful ways. The country embraces the closed border policy, which prohibits immigration except for a few potential immigrants who get selected because of their high skill levels (Williams, Gravelle & Klar, 2022). President Biden is enforcing some immigration prohibitions, narrowing it down to the few exceptions of the global ban on legal immigration, to reduce the number of illegal immigrants (Williams et al., 2022). The president aims to admit the fewest refugees, as he sets the limit and picks those who seem beneficial to the country.

Implementing the closed border policy under the Biden administration will limit the number of those entering America during this Covid-19 age. The ban on non-essential travel is still enforced at all United States land ports of entry. Requesting asylum is regarded to be non-essential, thus forcing the seekers to look for alternative ways of entering the country (Smith & Ray, 2018). Illegal immigrants must be treated humanely since the law states they are eligible to request asylum irrespective of their legal status, whether at the designated port of entry or not. Migration is in the DNA of humankind; it enables people to cope with environmental threats and political oppressions. It is a shared responsibility for the human rights of illegal immigrants to be respected. They should not be discriminated against because of their foreign nature but be accommodated (Smith & Ray, 2018). President Biden and his administration use an expulsion policy that dictates all border crossers and asylum seekers are to be deported immediately without hearing their claims.

The de facto open-border policy, which allows expressly permitted individuals to enter America lawfully, has resulted in many migrants opting to enter the country. Over 179,000 people encountered the border agents in April alone, indicating a record high in the last 20 years (Williams et al., 2022). The policy attracts unauthorized migrants from African countries, Venezuela, Brazil, and India, who travel long distances to reach the southern border and walk through unauthorized entries. America now hosts close to 11 million unauthorized migrants who the country’s policies openly tolerate (Williams et al., 2022). The business community facilitates the illegal stay of the migrants by employing them with the claim that the country lacks adequate workers. The millions of unlawful migrants employed provide low-wage labor, which is beneficial to the employees. During this Covid-19 period, migrants’ journeys have been severely affected by travel restrictions, border closures, and lockdowns.

Impact of Closed and Open Borders on the US Economy

The arrival of the Covid-19 virus was first regarded as an emergency but later became an economic catalyst advocating for change. In its third year, the pandemic has forced significant reforms that affect the United States economy. Closed borders limit the movement of potential sellers and buyers, thus affecting the economy (Paolo, 2017). Every day the country’s border continues to be closed due to the Covid-19 spike, and the financial industry continues to experience further delays in its recovery. More significant damage is caused to the millions of Americans who rely on travel to facilitate their livelihoods, as they cannot move freely (Dutt & Kohfeldt, 2019). Closing the borders is reducing the number of those employed by millions and costing the country trillions of dollars compared to the pre-pandemic period. It is estimated that over $1.5 billion in potential travel exports will be lost each month if the border is not fully opened (Shin, 2020). The food prices will spike if the closed border policy gets implemented again after being lifted in August 2021, limiting the movement of people because of the new variant of Covid-19.

The United States economy is starting to grow again as the restrictions to enter and exit the country get lifted. Open borders make it easy to travel, encourage migration, make the supply chain more efficient, and provide better investment opportunities for international investors, thus benefiting the economy (Clemens, 2022). The benefits of open immigration into the country are more beneficial than the projected disadvantages. A policy of open immigration will result in the invitation of competition into the American labor market. Unskilled American laborers will be forced to compete for job opportunities at lower wages, just as illegal immigrants (González, 2021). Competition in this market will result in outstanding levels of labor efficiency and the elimination of artificially inflated labor costs. Producers and entrepreneurs will produce more efficiently when labor costs are reduced. It enables them to offer their goods and services at a reasonable price affordable to anyone. Prices decline as production costs decrease, and all this is possible with the availability of immigrants who offer services at a lower cost.

Summary of findings

With the government failing to embrace open borders policy, many migrants, asylum seekers, and immigrants opt to enter the country through illegal channels. As a result, the number of illegal occupants in the United States has increased rapidly, an estimated 1000 people each day. A closed border policy affects the economy as potential investors and workers cannot move freely. It involves the transport sector, thus limiting the movement of goods and spiking prices, which is not beneficial to the economy. Biden directs that those who illegally enter the country and present themselves to the government seeking asylum must be deported immediately without being heard. The majority of them end up staying illegally in the country. Secondly, the open border policy has substantial benefits, including economic growth, as the migrants offer services at lower wages leading to low production costs. Entrepreneurs can enter the country without restrictions and make beneficial investments supporting the country’s economy. If the United States can accommodate the migrants and give them proper documentation and treatment, the rate of illegal entries into the United States will reduce significantly.

Recommendations

An asylum policy is highly recommended to deal with the illegal entry of individuals who seek asylum but get deported immediately without being heard. The Department of Homeland needs to equip the asylum system with the means to work efficiently (Paolo, 2017). With this, the asylum officers will be able to interrogate and determine if the asylum seekers are eligible or not. Those eligible will receive protection promptly while the deported still get a chance to appeal to the immigration judge. Secondly, the government needs to implement a migrant policy to curb the migration rate, which is increasing fast (Paolo, 2017). The Biden administration needs to implement strategies helping to foster a more economically productive and stable Central America. It will limit the number of migration of people who prefer going to the United States to seek job opportunities and other better life anticipations. Thirdly, an open trade policy needs to be implemented to lead the country’s economy towards growth (Paolo, 2017). Countries engaging in international trade grow faster, are more productive and provide higher income to their people while creating more job opportunities. Consuming goods will then be cheaper, thus being affordable by low-income households.

References

Clemens, M. (2022). The economic and fiscal effects on the United States from reduced numbers of refugees and asylum seekers.SSRN Electronic Journal. Web.

Dutt, A., & Kohfeldt, D. (2019). Assessing the relationship between neoliberal ideology and reactions to Central American asylum seekers in the United States.Journal of Social Issues, 75(1), 134-152. Web.

González, M. (2021). Precarity for the global talent: The impact of visa policies on high‐skilled immigrants’ work in the United States. International Migration, 60(2), 193-207. Web.

Paolo, B. (2017). Are European security policies learning some lessons from the United States on migration and human rights?.Ssrn Electronic Journal. Web.

Shin, G. (2020). The direct and indirect impacts of liberal immigration policies on the United States’ economy.Economics, 14(1). Web.

Smith, M., & Ray, S. (2018). Long-term lessons on the effects of post-9/11 border thickening on cross-border trade between Canada and the United States: A systematic review.Transport policy, 72, 198-207. Web.

Williams, I., Gravelle, T., & Klar, S. (2022). The competing influence of policy content and political cues: Cross-border evidence from the United States and Canada.American Political Science Review, 1-14. Web.

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