Immigration and Freedom of Association

In this essay I appeal to the value of freedom of association to construct a presumptive case in favor of a state’s right to set its own immigration policy and then defend this prima facie case against the formidable arguments that have been made on behalf of open borders. I ultimately conclude that, even if egalitarians are right that those of us in wealthy societies have demanding duties of global distributive justice, and even if libertarians are correct that individuals have rights both to freedom of movement and to control their private property, legitimate states are entitled to reject all potential immigrants, even those desperately seeking asylum from corrupt governments.