Research topic

Project outline

The existing international system of states authorizes and empowers each independent, territorial state to unilaterally set, and coercively enforce, its immigration laws and policies. Would-be migrants to a given state are expected to comply with its immigration laws, and are liable to coercion to enforce that compliance. But why would it be morally acceptable for would-be migrants to be exposed to border coercion? The answer cannot appeal to immigration laws' democratic legitimacy, since would-be migrants are not included in the citizen body that authorizes such laws. In this project, I will explore the idea that immigration laws' legitimacy, when they are legitimate, depends on their respecting migrants' human rights. In particular, each state's immigration policies must help to ensure that all refugees receive adequate protection for their human rights. I will further argue that at the bar of this standard of legitimacy, absent major reforms to the international refugee protection regime, the legitimacy of developed democracies' immigration laws is questionable.  (Caleb Yong)

Scholarly profile of Caleb Yong

From 2012−2014 Caleb Yong held the position of a lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Oxford. In 2014 he received his DPhil in Politics at Oxford University with a dissertation entitled: »Justice, Legitimacy, and Movement across Borders«. From 2014−2015 he was granted a Postdoctoral Fellowship at McGill University and furthermore from 2015−2016 he was a Fellow in Residence at Harvard University.

Theories of Justice; Immigration Policy.

1. »Caring Relationships and Family Migration Schemes«, in: Alex Sager (ed.): The Ethics and Politics of Immigration, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
2. »Justice in Labor Immigration Policy«, in: Social Theory and Practice, Vol. 42 (4), 2016.
3. »Does freedom of speech include hate speech?«, in: Res Publica, Vol. 17, 2011.