Immigration and Discrimination

TY - CHAP

T1 - Immigration and Discrimination

AU - Fine, Sarah

PY - 2016/1/28

Y1 - 2016/1/28

N2 - The history of immigration controls is mired in racism, a fact that is not much discussed in the philosophical literature regarding the ethics of immigration restrictions. Indeed, race and ethnicity hardly feature at all in the debate. I explore what is revealed about the ethics of immigration controls when we move race and ethnicity from the margins to the forefront of our analysis. I begin with an outline of the absolutely central role of race and ethnicity in the history and politics of immigration restrictions. Next, I turn my attention to normative arguments that seek to defend some form of immigration restrictions while also denying the permissibility of discriminating between prospective immigrants on grounds of race or ethnicity. I consider what is necessary in order for these arguments to marry those objectives, and I highlight the serious challenges that arise. Making race and ethnicity the focus of our investigation not only serves to shed light on one particularly troubling feature of immigration controls as we know them; it also offers an additional angle from which to evaluate the wider coherence and appeal of arguments in support of the state’s right to exclude would-be immigrants. Furthermore, this exercise illustrates the ways in which arguments in political philosophy might be informed and affected by addressing the history of the institutions under discussion.

AB - The history of immigration controls is mired in racism, a fact that is not much discussed in the philosophical literature regarding the ethics of immigration restrictions. Indeed, race and ethnicity hardly feature at all in the debate. I explore what is revealed about the ethics of immigration controls when we move race and ethnicity from the margins to the forefront of our analysis. I begin with an outline of the absolutely central role of race and ethnicity in the history and politics of immigration restrictions. Next, I turn my attention to normative arguments that seek to defend some form of immigration restrictions while also denying the permissibility of discriminating between prospective immigrants on grounds of race or ethnicity. I consider what is necessary in order for these arguments to marry those objectives, and I highlight the serious challenges that arise. Making race and ethnicity the focus of our investigation not only serves to shed light on one particularly troubling feature of immigration controls as we know them; it also offers an additional angle from which to evaluate the wider coherence and appeal of arguments in support of the state’s right to exclude would-be immigrants. Furthermore, this exercise illustrates the ways in which arguments in political philosophy might be informed and affected by addressing the history of the institutions under discussion.

U2 - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676606.003.0007

DO - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676606.003.0007

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9780199676606

SN - 9780198843085

BT - Migration in Political Theory: The Ethics of Movement and Membership

A2 - Fine, Sarah

A2 - Ypi, Lea

PB - Oxford University Press

ER -