This Nation has oft been referred to as “The Great Melting-Pot,” which is to say, many Peoples have come here from every region of the Earth, representatives of every Culture, Religion, and Philosophy; and from the combination of their various Creeds was this Nation born. Likewise, it is said that America is a Land of Opportunity, where any human may seek the American Dream of Prosperity and Happiness; and in seeking this opportunity, many immigrants have contributed not only to their own wealth, but to the Economical and Cultural wealth of the Nation. Overlooking these many and varied contributions, some Members of our Society have begun to argue that there must be limits set upon immigration to this Country, as those drawn to Lady Liberty’s Beacon are not valid in their aims of resettlement. They say it is Illegal for a human to seek out new Government when his own has failed him. In this essay, I seek to quell my detractors and disprove their claims, which are at odds with the Natural Rights of Humankind.
A Commonwealth, or Country, may be defined as a community of people who have submit themselves to a common Civil Government in order to further advance their Civil Interests, which I take to be Life, Liberty, Health, Freedom from Suffering, and the procurement and retention of Personal Property. If a Commonwealth does not procure, preserve, and advance the Civil Interests of those who reside there, it is not truly a Commonwealth; those who reside there are justified in determining it to be less than a true Society, and seeking out a Commonwealth that allows for their Life, Liberty, Health, and Possessions to be advanced in status. As Civil Interests are inherent to every Human, so every Human has the right to seek them out.
My opponents will no doubt claim that immigrants fleeing illicit Commonwealths would do better to take a stand within their own countries and advocate for a better life. To this, I say that not every human has the mental and physical resolve to resist tyranny; do you expect Babes to take up arms, or nursing mothers? Instead, I should think it better if these people, endowed with wisdom from first-hand experience of Tyranny, would be better suited to mental labour in countries where their wisdom would form an invaluable buttress against those who would promote Absolute Monarchy and Despotism.
Another Argument I have heard against the Inherent Right to Civil Interests is that of Overcrowding. Those who seek to limit the Migration of others say that space is finite within this Nation, and further occupants will overburden us. To this I say: there is still much unoccupied land within this Commonwealth that lies undeveloped, and the Population Density of a Las Angeles or a New York should not be taken as indicative of the entire Nation. If a single Immigrant were to tend an acre of land, and produce food for ten people, then they have not diminished our Nation’s resources but added to them. As Labor is the basis of Personal Property, and what distinguishes it from Common Lands, it is far better to have more laborers than more land that lies Fallow and Unused. Our Administration would be Wise, then, to seek to place Immigrants in places where their labor may be of most use, allowing the fruits of said labor to benefit all.