Open Borders and International Migration Policy ― The Effects of Unrestricted Immigration in the United States, France, and Ireland

Although political philosophers debate the morality of open borders, few social scientists have explored what would happen if immigration were no longer limited. This book looks at three historical examples of temporarily unrestricted migration into the United States, France, and Ireland: the arrival of Mariel Cubans in Miami (Florida) in 1980, the flight of Pied Noir and Harki refugees from Algeria to Marseille in 1962, and the migration of Poles and other new European Union 'Accession 8' citizens into Dublin in 2004. Based on personal interviews, archival research, and statistical analysis, the study finds that the effects of these population movements on the economics, politics, and social life of these cities were much less catastrophic than opponents of free immigration claim. Detailed chapters cover schools, crime, ethnic politics, unemployment and wages, public finances, housing, and racial violence.

Joel S. Fetzer is Frank R. Seaver Professor of Social Science at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, USA. Author or co-author of many scholarly books and articles, he specializes in the politics of international migration in Europe, North America, and East Asia.