In a striking assertion, the Trump administration's National Security Strategy has reignited debates over immigration by framing "unchecked migration" as a modern aberration threatening Western civilisation. However, this perspective overlooks a profound historical reality: nation states across the Americas have, for much of their existence, operated with open borders rather than closed ones.
The Flawed Historical Narrative in Trump's Security Strategy
Released late last year, the National Security Strategy document outlines a vision that alarms many for its dismissal of European alliances and interventions in Latin America. Notably, it demonises immigrants, claiming that Europe faces "civilizational erasure" due to mass migration and prioritises ending what it terms "The Era of Mass Migration." This stance is presented as aligning with historical wisdom, but as a historian of border policy, I find this interpretation deeply flawed.
Examining the Past: Open Borders as the Norm
The strategy argues that sovereign nations have historically prohibited uncontrolled migration, granting citizenship rarely to foreigners. Yet, my research reveals that in the Americas, open borders were often the default. In Latin America, many countries enshrined the right to immigrate in their constitutions. For instance, Central America's 1824 constitution declared the region a "Sacred Asylum for all," using open borders to assert sovereignty.
In the United States, borders remained largely open for nearly the first 150 years, with immigrants presumed admissible until federal restrictions emerged in the late 19th century, initially targeting Chinese immigrants. A fully closed-border system, where immigrants are presumed inadmissible unless proven otherwise, did not take hold until the 1920s. Even then, enforcement varied, with amnesty programs in the 1980s showing flexibility.
The Real Deviation: Militantly Closed Borders
Contrary to the strategy's claims, the true historical deviation of recent decades is not open borders but their militant closure. This trend accelerated in the 1990s under the Clinton administration and intensified post-9/11. The current system, with its heavy spending on border security, fencing, and deportation, represents an experiment in restriction that diverges sharply from historical precedents.
How Closed Borders Cause the Problems They Blame on Migration
The National Security Strategy attributes issues like strained resources, distorted labour markets, increased crime, weakened social cohesion, and undermined national security to immigration. However, evidence suggests these problems stem from closed borders themselves.
- Resource Strains: Immigrants do not cost governments more than citizens; rather, the costly processes of detention and deportation drain resources. Opening borders could alleviate these strains.
- Labour Market Distortions: Closed borders trap workers while allowing corporations to exploit cheap labour pools, harming workers on all sides. Open borders would reduce these distortions.
- Organised Crime: By forcing vulnerable people to migrate illegally, closed borders incentivise cartels to profit from the situation. Studies show immigrants commit fewer crimes on average than native-born populations, so opening borders could reduce crime.
- Social Cohesion: Divisive rhetoric around closed borders, amplified by media, weakens social ties. Positive contact with immigrants reduces negative views, suggesting open borders could foster cohesion.
- National Security: Heavy-handed enforcement by state agents in communities undermines safety, making closed borders a security threat in themselves.
A Call for a Serious Conversation on Immigration
It is perplexing that policymakers blame "open borders" for systemic failures when such policies barely exist today. The logic is backwards, yet protests in cities like Minneapolis indicate a growing readiness to address the root cause: our failing experiment with closed borders. Embracing the historical wisdom of open borders could offer a path forward, aligning with the Americas' long legacy of welcoming migrants.
