I have a similar confusion.

I understand open borders people. I’m not sure I agree, but I see where they’re coming from.

And I understand people who are anti-immigrant and want a border wall. Again, I’m not sure I agree, but I see where they’re coming from.

What I don’t understand is people who don’t support full 100% open borders (which very few people do), but who still think the idea of a border wall is outrageous - not just ineffective, or expensive, but some kind of bigotry or betrayal of important principles.

So you want to have laws preventing people from immigrating, you just don’t want to enforce those laws? It’s very important to you that immigrants be physically able to come here, you just want them to live in fear once they arrive? You want to make sure that law-abiding people have to wait decades for their turn in a difficult lottery, but anyone who’s willing to break the law is able to enter easily?

I can sort of see this as a compromise position by someone who really wants open borders - “a genuine push for open borders would never succeed, so let’s at least make our closed borders poorly enforced” - but are there people who like the current system for its own sake?

