What Milton Friedman Got Wrong About Immigration and the Welfare State

Immigration restrictionists love to quote Milton Friedman's line that "[y]ou cannot simultaneously have a welfare state and free immigration." There are lots of other rationales for immigration restriction. But this one has obvious resonance to people who otherwise favorite free markets. In a helpful recent post, economist Bryan Caplan, a leading expert on immigration policy, outlines why Friedman was wrong on this point. As Caplan points out, evidence indicates that most immigrants actually contribute more to the public fisc than they take out. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the...