Ezra Klein’s recent column on immigration (Here at Bloomberg, then reprinted in the Washington Post) starts this way: “Everything you know about immigration, particularly unauthorized immigration, is wrong.” He then goes on to retail the pet theory of immigration-expansionist sociology professor Douglas Massey to the effect that border enforcement causes illegal immigration.
That’s supposedly the case because before there was any meaningful enforcement, Mexican migrants happily crossed back and forth across the border with no thought of staying. But once the border was “militarized” it became harder to get back in, so once illegal aliens made it across, they didn’t want to risk it again so they stayed, and sent for their families. This is supposed to have resulted in permanent settlement that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
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