Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders

A conservative columnist makes an eye-opening case for why immigration improves the lives of Americans and is important for the future of the country

Separating fact from myth in today’s heated immigration debate, a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board contends that foreign workers play a vital role in keeping America prosperous, that maintaining an open-border policy is consistent with free-market economic principals, and that the arguments put forward by opponents of immigration ultimately don’t hold up to scrutiny.

In lucid, jargon-free prose aimed at the general-interest reader, Riley takes on the most common anti-immigrant complaints, including claims that today’s immigrants overpopulate the United States, steal jobs, depress wages, don’t assimilate, and pose an undue threat to homeland security. As the 2008 presidential election approaches with immigration reform on the front burner, Let Them In is essential reading for liberals and conservatives alike who want to bring an informed perspective to the discussion.

Jason L. Riley is a member of the editorialboard at the Wall Street Journal, where he hasworked since 1994. He appears regularly on theJournal Editorial Report on Fox News. He hasalso appeared on The NewsHour with JimLehrer, Hannity and Colmes and ABC’s WorldNews Tonight. He lives in suburban New YorkCity with his wife and daughter.