It is not easy to write about immigration from a philosophical perspective – not easy at least if you are writing in a society (and this now includes most societies in the western
People favor or are opposed to immigration for a variety of reasons. It is therefore difficult to tie views about immigration to ideological positions. While it seems obvious that
There are a variety of important issues surrounding the morality of immigration, including difficult questions regarding the definition and moral status of refugees, the circumstan
In this entry I aim to provide an overview of the most prominent philosophical discussions on the ethics of immigration, with a focus on scholars who have theorized on the assumpti
The humanitarian proposal is hard to refuse, because it postulates that we can achieve justice if everyone simply becomes aware of their essential human likeness. The Christian pro
The 1951 UN Convention defines a refugee as a person who “owing to well‐founded fear of being persecuted … is outside the country of his nationality” (UNHCR 1951: Art. 1), and due
Throughout the first years of my pontificate, I have repeatedly expressed my particular concern for the lamentable situation of many migrants and refugees fleeing from war, persecu
The story of the Good Samaritan is constantly being repeated. We can see this clearly as social and political inertia is turning many parts of our world into a desolate byway, even
Ethical debates around the issue of immigration centre on two issues: the rights of would-be recipient countries to limit entry, and the right of would-be immigrants to gain entry. In considering these it is important to draw a number of distinctions: 1) between legal and illegal immigrants; and 2) between a) welfare migrants, b) asylum seekers and refugees, and c) special claimants. The fact that someone has been granted entry and settlement rights means that their presence in a country in not unlawful, but it may still be judged to be wrong if, for example, so many people are being admitted that schooling, housing and social services are collapsing or employment and the economy are suffering badly. On the other hand, immigration may bring benefits in terms of needed skills and cultural enrichment. Welfare migrants seek a better life for themselves and their families. Refugees and asylum seekers are people whose own state either fails to protect, or actively oppresses them. Special claimants fall into 3 categories: 1) those owed reparation by the country due to previous exploitation or harm, 2) those who made a contribution that deserves to be rewarded, 3) those who have some form of non-legal-entitlement connection. Depending on the category to which a would-be entrant belongs the responsibility of the destination country may be one of justice, charity, benevolence, of prudence. Claims of justice are more stringent than those of benevolence and of charity: to fail to do the just thing on any occasion on which it may be at issue is to act unjustly; but to fail to be benevolent or charitable on any occasion on which these would be appropriate need not be wrong since these virtues include ‘perogatives’ to decide when and how to exercise them. In considering this the government of a recipient country also has to take account of its prior justice-related responsibilities to its existing citizens.