Ross Douthat

I think walking around with masks in an American city, the way they're doing is un-American in some way.

And I'm just trying to figure out if there's

a balance that can be struck if there is a form of enforcement basically that is essentially livable for people in the immigrant community that also satisfies people who are concerned that, you know, the U.S.

has essentially opened its borders under the Biden presidency and something had to be done about that.

That's a statement, not a question.

But just tell me, if you're talking to someone, and you must know people who are skeptical of illegal immigration, who, you know, don't hate Latinos or Hispanics, but thought the Biden policy was a failure, what do you say to people who voted for Donald Trump and want a secure border and expect some kind of enforcement?

This is last question then off that though.

Is there any limiting principle on that view?

Is there any place where it's reasonable for someone who

disagrees with you politically to be able to say, here is a just way for the U.S.

to limit immigration?

Well, no one wants to use the term open borders.

I agree.

But what I see from activists is a sense people will say, I'm not for open borders, but it then is very hard for them to define

a limit on any form of sympathetic migration?

So is there a just limit that you could set?

Right.

There's also, though, the question of, again, where the limits come in.

Because if you are an American company, there will always be some incentives to hire people from poorer countries because they will, for totally understandable reasons, work for lower wages.

So I think there is still this question of, from a kind of pro-immigrant perspective, how you set limits.