When someone is interested in migrating, looking into the rules of the destination country/countries and figuring out a plan is a big part of the process *shrug* I'm not against countries having and enforcing rules, as long as processes are reasonable, fair, accessible... and not steeped in racism, ethnic and religious discrimination, and/or abuse and disregard of human rights.

But even the most immigrant-friendly country is going to encounter problems or folks slipping through the cracks. So I just think countries that are popular migrant destinations bear a visible responsibility to adhere to international laws and standards and, essentially, lead by example in their response to those challenges.

ESPECIALLY former imperial projects founded via colonization, with long histories of settlement by various groups and complex national identities. Closed borders make little sense to me in this context bc the democracies have basically been set up from jump to be these evolving/fluid experiments of diversity. So (effectively managed) migration is likely vital to the success and longevity of such states. Imho anyway. I just think fighting it, or even overplaying one's hand in trying to curate it, would be a doomed endeavour.

edit: when I say democracies like the US or Canada were set up from jump as fluid experiments of diversity, I don't mean to downplay how disenfranchised Indigenous and Black populations were during the countries' foundings. More like, the diversity was present whether White settlers regarded them as fellow citizens or not. The state had to catch up to reality.