A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders
In a new book, National Review Executive Editor Reihan Salam says limiting immigration would help the native-born poor.
You might expect conservative writer Reihan Salam, 38, to support easy immigration. First, he’s the son of immigrants. His family came from Bangladesh, and he grew up speaking Bengali at home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Second, he’s executive editor of the conservative magazine National Review. Free-market conservatives—as opposed to Trumpian nationalist conservatives—tend to believe that the ability of people to cross international borders is good for economic growth and human liberty.
In reality, Salam has serious reservations about open borders. He has sympathy for immigrants, but not always for how they arrived. His new book, Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders, points the way toward compromise on an issue that’s likely to become even more hotly contentious in the years to come.