Immigrants: Is to Know them To Love Them?

Interesting addendum to Matthew Feeney’s
observations and thoughts on Switzerland’s anti-immigration
referendum from earlier today, via
Bryan Caplan:

Swiss anti-immigration voting was highest
in the places with
the least immigrants!  This is no
fluke.  In the U.S., anti-immigration sentiment
is highest
in the states with the least immigration – even if you
assume that 100% of immigrants are pro-immigration.

…..The main hurdle to further immigration
is insufficient immigration.  If countries
could just get over the hump of status quo bias, anti-immigration
attitudes would become as socially unacceptable as domestic
racism…

Reason‘s 2006
classic package on immigration.