Recognize the limitations of an open-market system

by Matthew Reeves | 02/06/2018

It is my belief that it is morally wrong for countries to sell citizenship to those looking to immigrate, contradicting the proposal made by Gary Becker in his article “Selling the Right to Immigrate.”  Selling citizenship would place a price on what it is to be a citizen and only rewards those who can afford it. As a whole, there are two issues I believe exist when a country tries to sell the right to immigrate. First, it undermines the immigration process as a whole by enabling people with wealth to bypass the process almost entirely. Second, the sale devalues the importance and meaning of citizenship.