Open Borders and International Migration Policy: The Effects of Unrestricted Immigration in the United States, France, and Ireland

By J. Fetzer

Although philosophers debate the morality of open borders, few social scientists have explored what would happen if immigration were no longer limited. This book looks at three examples of temporarily unrestricted migration in Miami, Marseille, and Dublin and finds that the effects were much less catastrophic than opponents of immigration claim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Release date: Jan 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781137513922

Book preview

Open Borders and International Migration Policy: The Effects of Unrestricted Immigration in the United States, France, and Ireland

Joel S. Fetzer

Pepperdine University, USA

Joel S. Fetzer © 2016

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.

Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published 2016 by

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.

Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world.

Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.

ISBN: 978–1–137–51392–2 EPUB

ISBN: 978–1–137–51392–2 PDF

ISBN: 978–1–137–51391–5 Hardback

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

www.palgrave.com/pivot

DOI: 10.1057/9781137513922

To my parents,

Carl Frederick Fetzer and Joan Gloria Foreman Fetzer,

and to Geneviève Verrier, dear Parisian friend

Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

1 Theories of Open Borders

2 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on Labor Markets

3 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on Public Finances

4 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on the Housing Market

5 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on Schools

6 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on Crime

7 The Effect of Unrestricted Immigration on Ethnic Voting and Racial Violence

8 How Harmful Is Unrestricted Immigration?

Bibliography

Index

List of Figures

2.1 Change in unemployment for Marseille and comparison cities (averaged), 1960–1967

2.2 Change in unemployment rate for Dublin and comparison cities (averaged), 2002–2007

2.3 Change in average real salary for Marseille and comparison cities, 1954–1963 (1955–1962 data interpolated)

2.4 Change in nominal wage index for Marseille and comparison city, 1959–1965

2.5 Change in construction sector wages for Ireland and comparison countries (averaged), 2002–2007

3.1 Surplus of gross public revenues for Miami and comparison cities, 1972–1992 (%)

3.2 Average real annual income tax payment per payer for Marseille and comparison cities, 1958–1967 (1957-value French New Francs)

3.3 Surplus of gross public revenues for Dublin and comparison city, 2001–2007 (%)

4.1 Change in housing density for Miami and comparison cities, 1974–1989

4.2 Change in housing density for Marseille and comparison cities, 1954–1975

4.3 Change in housing density for Ireland and comparison countries, 1996–2007

4.4 Change in average rent for Miami and comparison cities, 1974–1989

4.5 Change in average advertised rent for Marseille and comparison city, 1959–1965

4.6 Change in rental index for Ireland and comparison countries, January 2002– March 2007

5.1 Student-teacher ratio in Miami and comparison city, 1977–1986

5.2 Student-teacher ratio in Marseille and comparison cities, 1961–1965

5.3 Student-teacher ratio in Ireland and comparison countries, 1998–2008

5.4 Test scores for math and reading in Miami and comparison city, 1973–1987

5.5 Passage rate on Baccalauréat in Marseille and comparison cities, 1961–1965

5.6 Test scores for math, science, and reading in Ireland and comparison countries, 2000–2006

6.1 Total homicides in Miami and comparison cities, 1976–1990

6.2 Total burglaries in Miami and comparison cities, 1976–1990

6.3 Total homicide convictions in Marseille and comparison cities, 1953–1972

6.4 Total burglary convictions in Marseille and comparison cities, 1953–1972

6.5 Total homicides in Dublin and comparison cities, 1994–2010

6.6 Total burglaries in Ireland and comparison countries, 1994–2010

7.1 Articles on Cuban immigration in New York Times , 1978–1985

7.2 Articles on Rapatriat -e/-es/-ion in Le Monde , 1958–1967

7.3 Articles on Polish immigration in Irish Times , 1997–2010

List of Tables

2.1 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on unemployment rate for Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), December 1960– August 1967

2.2 Effect of A8 immigration on unemployment rate for Dublin city, first quarter 2002–first quarter 2007

2.3 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on average real salary (in 1954-value new francs) for Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), 1954–1963

2.4 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on nominal wage index for Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), February 1959– December 1965

2.5 Effect of A8 immigration on wages in construction sector in Ireland, first quarter 2002–fourth quarter 2007

2.6 Effect of A8 immigration on wages in market services sector in Ireland, first quarter 2002– fourth quarter 2007

2.7 Effect of A8 immigration on wages in all sectors in Ireland, first quarter 2002– fourth quarter 2007

2.8 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on labor market in Marseille and Dublin32

3.1 Effect of Mariel immigration on surplus of gross public revenues for Miami-Dade County, Florida, 1972–1992 (%)42

3.2 Effect of Rapatriés immigration on average real annual income tax payment per payer for Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), 1958–1967 (1957-value French New Francs)

3.3 Effect of A8 immigration on surplus of gross public revenues for Dublin City, 2001–2007 (%)

3.4 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on public finances in three cities

4.1 Effect of Mariel immigration on persons per room in Miami, 1974–1989

4.2 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on persons per room in Marseille, 1954–1975

4.3 Effect of A8 immigration on rooms per person in Ireland, 1996–2007

4.4 Effect of Mariel immigration on average rent in Miami, 1974–1989

4.5 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on average advertised rent in Marseille, 1959–1965

4.6 Effect of A8 immigration on rental index for Ireland and comparison countries, January 2002–March 2007

4.7 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on housing market in three cities

5.1 Effect of Mariel immigration on student-teacher ratio in Miami, 1977–1986

5.2 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on student-teacher ratio in Marseille, 1961–1965

5.3 Effect of A8 immigration on student-teacher ratio in Ireland, 1998–2008

5.4 Effect of Mariel immigration on test scores in Miami, 1973–1987

5.5 Effect of Rapatriés’ immigration on passage rate on Baccalauréat in Marseille, 1961–1965

5.6 Effect of A8 immigration on test scores in Ireland, 2000–2006

5.7 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on schools in three cities

6.1 Effect of Mariel immigration on homicides in Dade County, Florida, 1976–1990

6.2 Effect of Mariel immigration on burglaries in Dade County, Florida, 1976–1990

6.3 Effect of Rapatriés immigration on homicide convictions (meutre) in Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), 1953–1972

6.4 Effect of Rapatriés immigration on burglary convictions (vol qualifié) in Bouches-du-Rhône Département (Marseille), 1953–1972

6.5 Effect of A8 immigration on homicides in Dublin, 1994–2010

6.6 Effect of A8 immigration on burglaries in Ireland, 1994–2010

6.7 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on crime in three cities

7.1 Ecological analysis of 1979 and 1983 Miami mayoral elections

7.2 Ecological analysis of 1959 and 1965 Marseille Mayoral/ City council elections

7.3 Ecological analysis of 1999, 2004, and 2009 Dublin City council elections

7.4 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on ethnic voting and racial violence in three cities

8.1 Summary of effects of unrestricted immigration on three cities

Acknowledgments

This monograph resulted from a dare. Several years ago, I attended an immigration-related academic conference at a university and with colleagues who shall remain nameless. During an informal discussion over a meal, an Australian professor and I quickly discovered that we held diametrically opposed views on the benefits of large-scale human migration into affluent countries. After we debated the merits of our respective cases at length, this gentleman from down under threw me a challenge. As I remember the exchange, he said something like, If you really support open borders, why don’t you investigate what the effects would actually be? This book is my response. Although the researcher obviously assumed the consequences would be (very) negative, my study finds few serious problems arising from unrestricted immigration into major urban areas in the Atlantic community. Even though he is likely to be horrified at my conclusions, I am thus grateful to this investigator for motivating me to carry out the project.

Other helpful colleagues read and commented on earlier drafts, some of which I presented as papers at meetings of the Western Political Science Association, Pacific Sociological Association, Western Economics Association International, and Politics of Race, Immigration, and Ethnicity Consortium. Besides the audiences and panel participants at these conferences, Henry Flores, Youjin Hahn, Yvonne Y. Kwan, James A. McCann, Claudia A. Smith Kelly, and Andrew Yuengert scrutinized my early efforts and directed me in the right direction for revisions. Eric Olson, Jean-Jacques Jordi, and the late Juan Clark were similarly generous in their advice. All errors of fact and judgment are mine alone, however.

Although this book required much less field work than did some of my previous monographs, international airfare and weeks of hotel charges are not cheap, especially given the unfavorable dollar-to-euro exchange rate of the time. Fortunately, Pepperdine University’s Frank R. Seaver Endowed Professorship in Social Science amply covered the costs of one visit to Dublin and two trips each to Miami and Marseille. I am particularly grateful to Vice Provost Lee Kats and Director of Research Programs Katy Carr for awarding and administering this grant. Then Dean Rick Marrs and my Chair, Steve Rouse, likewise aided my work immensely by giving me several course releases to write up my findings. Payson Library’s Melissa Pichette continues to work wonders finding me the most obscure scholarly publications via Interlibrary Loan. Other rich sources of relevant documents included the Library of Congress, University of Miami Libraries’ Cuban Heritage Collection, Florida International University Libraries, Miami-Dade Main Public Library, City of Miami Office of the City Clerk (with many thanks to Elections Coordinator Dwight S. Danie), Marseille’s Bibliothèque de l’Alcazar, Archives municipales – Ville de Marseille, Archives départementales des Bouches-du-Rhône, Centre de Documentation Historique sur l’Algérie in Aix-en-Provence, Trinity College Dublin Library, and National Library of Ireland.

At Palgrave Macmillan, Commissioning Editor Sara Crowley-Vigneau combined just the right linguistic and politics expertise to guide my initial proposal toward acceptance, and Editorial Assistant Jemima Warren has splendidly managed the details of copyright clearances, formatting, and copyediting since then. I am immensely grateful to the press for taking on this project and for expanding the boundaries of scholarly publishing via its publishing via its Palgrave Pivot program.

I dedicate this book to my parents, Carl and Joan Fetzer, for having nurtured me spiritually and emotionally over the years and for encouraging me to pursue my dreams. Ironically, my own profession has turned out to be unexpectedly close to that of my father despite our differences in temperament and outlook. I pray that God will continue to bless and guard them during the rest of their journey here on earth. I also dedicate this volume to Mme Geneviève Verrier, who hosted me for a semester in her Paris home three decades ago when I was a mere undergraduate exchange student, and who has continued to maintain the friendship between my family and hers over the years. I give her and her children a warm embrace and wish them many more years of bonheur à la française.

Even closer to home, my wife Christina and son Isaak accompanied me during most of the research on this monograph. I was happy to be able to show my family some of the most intriguing spots in Europe and North America, and to expand my son’s already international perspective. My apologies once again for being distracted by this manuscript and neglecting more practical matters.

My spiritual home, Ministerios en Su Presencia, continues to tolerate my quirks and occasional outbursts all while praying fervently and lovingly for me and my family. I am spiritually indebted to Pastor Eliseo Franco and the congregation of hermanos and hermanas in North Hollywood.

Finally, this book would have been much poorer without the roughly two dozen individuals who graciously consented to be interviewed for this volume. Although almost all key actors during the 1962 influx into Marseille are now dead, I was able to contact and speak with most of the remaining experts from the 1980 Mariel boatlift and the 2004–2006 wave of A8 migrants into Dublin. To all, my deepest gratitude.

1

Theories of Open Borders

Abstract: Political philosophers such as Joseph Carens, Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, and Will Kymlicka have argued for the morality of an open-borders immigration policy, yet other social theorists such as Michael Walzer, Stephen Macedo, and John Isbister dismiss this approach because of the supposed harm that unrestricted immigration would cause to natives. After exploring the normative arguments for and against open borders, the chapter concludes that the crux of many theoretical objections to unrestricted immigration is empirical. Unfortunately, however, many of the factual assumptions that immigration restrictionists make have not been fully or rigorously tested. This monograph therefore aims to see if unregulated immigration actually hurts natives. In testing this hypothesis, the book focuses on three natural experiments: Mariel Cubans in Miami; Algerian Repatriates in Marseille; and Eastern Europeans in Dublin.

Keywords: Algerians; Cubans; Dublin, Ireland; Eastern Europeans; immigration policy; Joseph Carens, Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, Will Kymlicka, Michael Walzer, Stephen Macedo, John Isbister; Marseille, France; Miami, Florida, United States; natural experiments; open borders

Fetzer, Joel S. Open Borders and International Migration Policy: The Effects of Unrestricted Immigration in the United States, France, and Ireland. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. DOI: 10.1057/9781137513922.0005.

What happens when massive numbers of immigrants – say a hundred thousand – show up almost overnight in a city? One way to approach this question is by looking at three contrasting films illustrating three distinct scenarios, one in Miami, Florida, a second in Marseille, France, and the third in Dublin, Ireland. The worst-case example is Scarface (Bregman 2003), an immigrant-gangster movie so horrifically violent that even Kurt Vonnegut walked out of its preview in revulsion at its gruesomeness (McMurran