The United States is home to more immigrants than any other country in the world. And debates about who (and how many people) to let in have roiled the nation since our founding. But last year, unlawful attempts to cross the southern border hit a record high of about 2.5 million.
We’ve all seen the videos of mothers and babies shimmying under barbed wire; of young men charging border patrol agents; and of migrant caravans marching toward Texas. The surge of migration has made even progressive cities like New York and Chicago, which previously declared themselves immigrant sanctuaries, sound the alarm.
Poll after poll indicates that immigration is the top issue for voters in the 2024 election—more important than inflation or the economy. Americans left and right agree that our system is broken. But how do we fix it?
That is the subject of the first installment of our America Debates series. We convened Ann Coulter, Nick Gillespie, Sohrab Ahmari, and Cenk Uygur in Dallas for a deeper discussion about immigration.
It was spicy. Indeed, some of what the debaters said on stage may offend you. But at The Free Press, we believe the issues that matter most to Americans are worth talking about out loud, without fear. That is why we partnered with FIRE, the nation’s leading defender of free speech, to bring you this debate.
We loved getting a chance to meet the more than 700 of you who showed up. For those who couldn’t make it to Texas, we’re thrilled to provide this film of the event:
Ann Colter and Sohrab Ahmadi showed more authentic compassion with their support of firm boundaries at the border that would protect low income Americans as well as all the trafficked migrants and vulnerable children that end up in sweat shops and worse in American cities. And no one can deny the cartels and the poison drugs that they can easily smuggle into the country with this open border. This is not a racist stand but one based on common sense and reality.
I liked very much hearing their arguments.
My opinion: close the border firmly for now until a healthy workable doable plan is in place for vetting and then admitting the migrants who will not need welfare and can be given an actual path towards having jobs and becoming citizens.
It is obvious to any actual american that the answer to the contrived "matter of debate" is no.
No, we are not going to "shut our borders", whatever that fatuous clickbait-ready construction is supposed to mean.
It is a stupid notion. It is stupid to believe it. It is stupid to "argue" about it. We are not doing that. Ever.
the audience vote's "leftward" move by "debate's" end did not hint at some increased sentiment "in favor of open borders".
it was a grudging, marginal recognition, and rejection, of rank stupidity.