Source: EconLog
by Christopher Freiman
“Even people who are otherwise enthusiastic about a free market in labor can get cold feet about immigration once redistribution enters the picture. Some are fond of quoting Milton Friedman, who famously (or infamously) said: ‘It’s just obvious you can’t have free immigration and a welfare state.’ On this view, immigration is fine under fully free market institutions, but in the actual world with its abundant government-provided benefits, immigration restrictions are justified to protect taxpayers from the added expense that could arise if immigrants consume these benefits. But this conclusion is too quick, and even Friedman’s position is more nuanced than people on both sides of the immigration debate tend to realize.” (02/20/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/friedman-on-immigration-setting-the-record-straight