Immigration has been a hot issue in this year’s presidential race. Democrats are triggered when they hear Donald Trump speak about building a wall and deporting millions of immigrants; Republicans are outraged when they hear Hillary Clinton speak about offering citizenship to those immigrants already here and rejecting the idea of a wall. 

I think both candidates are wrong. There is no viable reason for restricting free and open immigration, except in the case of those who would pose a risk to the health and safety of the country in which they are seeking citizenship. 

Examples of ways in which an immigrant could pose a risk is by failing a background check or carrying a contagious disease. The number of people that fall into this category are extremely low. Sadly, though, you still hear fear-mongering comments such as, “They aren’t sending their best. They’re sending rapists…” from a presidential candidate. 

While concern for national security is legitimate, it can be easily dealt with using solid background checks and a thorough health screenings; surely a government that spent $2 million on jazz playing robots can come up with an effective health and security screening process, right?

The issue of the economy is another point of debate that arises when discussing opening borders. A common argument one might hear against open immigration— please forgive my South Park reference— is “They took our jobs!” Many Americans feel like American workers are harmed by influxes of immigrants. Why? Because it is common knowledge many who migrate here are willing to work harder for less money. This is the reason they come here illegally— they need money and they need it immediately. 

My response to those who would be angry about a foreign worker might potentially “taking” a job that “belongs” to an American is to get off your lazy butt and go compete in the job market. You are not guaranteed a job in this country simply because you were born here. 

The bottom line is that it is disgusting to try and keep people out of this country simply because you know they will not only work harder than you, but do so in jobs you mistakenly think you are too good to do. 

In general, open borders would vastly increase world productivity and decrease poverty across the globe.Michael Clemens, senior fellow and research manager at the Centre for Global Development, estimates 40 percent of the adult population in the world’s poorest quarter of nations wish to immigrate elsewhere. 

However, they cannot because many of them are ineligible for legal forms of movement or are forced to wait on decade-long lists to apply. Economic productivity depends largely on location rather than skill. You can have a large skill set in a poor nation and barely make ends meet. However, you can also be a low skill worker in a rich nation and make a decent living. 

Clemens estimates that if all national barriers were torn down, the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would double in a calendar year, because workers from poor countries could migrate to ones with better infrastructures, making it easier to do more work. 

GDP is the dollar value for goods and services produced within a country’s borders, within a specific economic period. It is a tool economists use to gauge how well a nation’s economy is doing. 

Any upward trend in GDP is a good thing, because it indicates the economy is growing. Imagine the wealth and prosperity the world would enjoy if the total GDP doubled. There is no viable economic reasoning against open borders and free migration. 

There are many more arguments that could be made in favor of open borders, but I hope the arguments I have given today have proved to you the rewards of an open border far outweigh the risks involved. Speaking in purely economic terms, if the world suddenly removed all borders, we would see a period of growth unmatched by virtually any other in human history. 

Economic benefits aside, it is time to show these families some compassion. Let these individuals come out of hiding, reunite with their loved ones and work to provide health and happiness for their families. Let’s not punish people because of circumstances out of their control.