The Morality of Closed Borders: Is Freedom of Movement a Human Right? Discourse and Practice in the European Union's Immigration Policy

The immigration policies that characterize the European Union's discourse on border restrictions favours a certain type of immigrant, who brings economic benefits to the host country. The human rights approach to immigration from third countries seems to have less impact on the border policies than the economic counterpart. Although seen as an ideal community, whose essential value is freedom of movement within its territory, the European Union, acts in a realistic manner. The issue that needs to be analyzed relates to the consequences of these restrictive border policies on the life of immigrants and the impact of a “gated” Europe on their basic human rights. Although freedom of movement is not recognized as a fundamental and universal human right, the consequences of blocking mobility for people endanger other basic human rights; it also becomes problematic when assessing the role of immigration policies within the European Union and their observance of human rights provisions.