Should We End All Immigration? Debate Coming Up

An announcement via e-mail:

“Should We End All Immigration? Legal and Illegal?”

WHO: A debate between author Mark Krikorian and Marquette Law Professor Ed A. Fallone sponsored by The Federalist Society

WHEN: Tuesday, November 18, 2008; 12:00 noon (we will begin serving lunch a few minutes before)

WHERE: AMU, Room 157 (directly across from the post office)

FREE LUNCH FROM EINSTEIN’S BAGELS

Mark Krikorian is the author of a controversial new book, “The New Case Against Immigration, Both Legal and Illegal.” In it he argues that today’s immigrants aren’t too different from a century ago, but we are, in ways both good and bad, but ultimately in ways that mark us as a mature, grown-up society. And these changes mean that mass immigration of any kind is now a problem for our modern society in a way that it wasn’t in the past, and so we need to end it. Krikorian is the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. You can learn more about the book here.

You can also read a Q&A he did on the book for National Review Online here: here.

Ed A. Fallone is an Associate Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School where he teaches immigration law. He has published numerous articles on immigration and is a frequent speaker on the topic. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Assistance program which represents immigrants and citizens with immigration-related issues. More information may be found here.

We have a couple of things to say about this.

First, we have long been an advocate of controlling the borders, but allowing a high level of legal immigration. So we apparently differ with Krikorian on the latter point. But Krikorian appears to be much more than a simple-minded nativist, and his arguments deserve to be considered.

Second, we have to again note The Federalist Society arranges balanced debates with capable advocates on both sides. That’s very different from what normally happens on a university campus.