Borders and Boundaries

Was wondering the other day, what if countries decided not to require so much red tape for someone to move in or out of their borders? What if they opened them up and let people be where they wanted to be?

This, surprisingly, has nothing to do with my move to Australia, but rather to do with a recent media item on refugees and "illegals" in South Africa, who have fled their homeland to try and make a living here, even though it's a very tough thing to do. They face years of attempting to get something, anything, out of our Department of Home Affairs, and spend that time working illegally, living illegally, and hoping they won't be sent back to the country they've fled.

Last week's NavyNCIS dealt with a similar issue, a guy who had lived in the USA for many years, never obtained permanent residence, and was sent back to a country he didn't know with no family or support to sink or swim.

A hundred or more years back, moving continents was as simple as packing up your sea chest, buying a one-way ticket, braving the seas in a small boat and then settling in the land of your choice. That's how many of our ancestors arrived where they did, and it worked then (if you ignore them kicking out the locals etc. of course).

Not so nowadays. You first have to apply for visas and passports and documents and such before you even plan your travels, and they're generally stamped with a time limit.

But what if we just opened up our borders?

Some would say "the economy would collapse", but in many cases it's the illegals who work the hardest, trying to either earn their keep or make a success of their new lives. We might see major migrations of people from war-torn and drought-riddled areas, but that may give those areas a chance to recover peace, economy or ecology. Allowing people to live in your country legally, work and contribute, may boost the economy and enable them to either live in peace and safety permanently, or one day return to their original country with more to offer.

Sure, the Nigerian drug lords might move in, but they're around anyway! Crime? - perhaps allowing for people to work without restrictions would cut that, as much crime is committed in desperation.

I guess there are a number of other issues such as voting rights etc that would be stumbling blocks to the government, but I wonder what could really be so bad about relaxing the restrictions on people-movement. The world certainly wouldn't come to an end! It might even become a better place....

Or it could just be that I'm REALLY naive! :)

(Painting above is "Migration" by Malaquias Montoya)