The argument of open immigration

Every year millions of individuals seek to immigrate to the Unites States and with good reason, to receive opportunities they would not be able to obtain in their homeland. Like many of our ancestors that immigrated to the United States to experience and live the “American Dream” so do the millions that wish to immigrate to the United States. In our modern day political system for those wishing to immigrate, it is nearly impossible because of the hurdles our government has set up. In Craig Biddles article “Immigration and Individual Rights” from Capitalism Magazine his main claim states that, “This prohibition, however, is un-American and immoral. The basic principle of America–the principle of individual rights–demands a policy of open immigration…Such a policy is not only politically right; it is morally right. ” (Biddle)

Biddle strengthens his argument by using the three rhetorical appeals ethos, pathos and logos. Craig Biddle establishes his credibility, or ethos, by being the “editor of The Objective Standard and the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It, a highly concretized, systematic introduction to Ayn Rand’s ethics.” (“Craig Biddle”) Another way Biddle establishes his ethos is “In addition to writing, he lectures and teaches seminars at universities across the country, including Stanford, Duke, Tufts, UVA, UCLA, UW–Madison, and NYU and regularly lectures at Objectivist conferences as well.” (“Craig Biddle”) Logos in his argument one can see through his stating of facts and explanations.

Biddle utilizes the appeal of logos by stating facts as in “Immigration is the act of moving to a country with the intention of remaining there.” (Biddle) Alternatively another use of logos ...

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...n political articles.

Through out analyzing Biddles article “Immigration and Individual Rights”, he gives enough context to persuade his readers that the idea of open immigration remains a must. Biddle strengthens his article by using pathos and logos but somewhat fails when it comes to ethos. Biddle’s ethos was not directly in the article and needed further research. Biddle’s strong use of pathos and logos helped his argument but another way he could have made it stronger was by showing statistics of how many people a year apply for citizenship or green cards and compare it to the amount that are actually granted them. Biddle utilizes the rhetoric appeals to persuade his audience that open immigration is a must for a country that bases itself off of individual rights, but also makes the audience reflect on the way the United States currently handles immigration.