What was Marx's view on immigration? I'm still new to socialism (have only read the Communist Manifesto), so my knowledge is fairly limited. I've heard some Alt-Right people on Twitter use the phrase "reserve army of labor" (which I believe Marx coined) in relation to illegal immigration, implying that Marx would not support the modern left's position on this issue. Is this correct? Or are they misunderstanding things?
As I understand it, the economic argument against illegal immigration is that it lowers wages, but businesses aren't hiring illegal immigrants out of a preference for duskier workers. They're hiring them because illegal immigrants are typically desperate and have few job opportunities available to them. Therefore, businesses can get away with paying them under the table at below minimum wage rates. Desperate, financially insecure native born workers serve the same function and may even be preferred due to fluency with English, but there just happen to be many more Mexican born workers who fit this bill than American born ones. As a result, they tend to be the scapegoat for this issue. Presumably for socialists, the source of the problem isn't immigration. It's capitalism and the system of wage slavery. But even in the short term, wouldn't this be better solved by forcing businesses to keep logs of workers on their payroll, how much they're paid, etc., and imposing strict penalties on businesses that try to circumvent labor laws, rather than focusing on immigration restriction, which only addresses the issue superficially if at all?
Workers have no country, borders are bourgeois, "illegal immigration" is a con on the part of the capitalist class to trick you into believing that nations are inherent and that being born on this or that side of an imaginary line makes you fundamentally better than those born on the wrong side of that imaginary line.
Aaron Martin
Don't listen to the other poster. Marx made an osservation he wasn't nor pro nor against. What i'm saying is that is totally dependent on the circumstances. It's easy to scream to muh boarders but without you wouldn't last a second in a world we're imperial powers exist. Same goes for immigration. Look at the GDR. You get free housing, free studying, free everything than you go BRD to spend work make family and apply your shit. This is wrong, immigrants are doing more or less this now…but now we live in a capitalist society, so i don't care. If we were under socialism? I'd care and I'd put idealism aside. Rethoric is nice but practice is different
Carson Gonzalez
zzz
Lincoln Scott
If Marx is correct we live in a pre-communist world. So while it is absolutely correct that "illegal immigration" wouldn't be an issue under communism I think a more important question is whether mass immigration serves to bring about the revolution or empower reactionary elements. I can see it going either way.
Joseph Martin
Given that all people are 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧equal🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 and nobody owns anything why should immigration even factor into Marx's Hypothesis?
Lincoln Jones
He's wrong, we live in a post communist world, that's why gooks and niggers need gommunism, to get their shit together sufficiently to form markets.
Ian Thomas
The laws of capitalist states are completely illegitimate.
Asher Ross
are you trolling or do you genuinely think marxism = equality of outcome
Kayden Roberts
Marx, Engels and Lenin never said this Marx, Engels and Lenin never said this
