Robert Rector writes today:
Many libertarians respond to this dilemma by asserting that the real problem is not open borders but the welfare state itself. The answer: dismantle the welfare state. The libertarian Cato Institute pursues a variant of this policy under the slogan, “build a wall around the welfare state, not around the nation.” Borders should be open, but immigrants should be barred from accessing welfare and other benefits.
Rector makes the obvious point about the unrealism of this idea. I would add one bit to his case. One reason conservatives are supposed to support the immigration bill is that new immigrants will vote against us forever if we don’t. Would it really be a sustainable policy to expand the ranks of immigrant voters but also to bar those voters from governmental benefits? Are there any circumstances under which it would make political sense for a political party to do that?