The Wrong of Removing the Long-Settled

In recent years, political leaders in a number of Western states have ramped up efforts to identify and remove undocumented immigrants, partly as a response to a rise in xenophobic populist attitudes among their populations.1 These efforts are typically implemented regardless of how long the irregular immigrants have lived in the would-be removing state. This practice is in tension with the emerging consensus in political philosophy that anyone who has lived in a state for an extended period of time should be entitled to permanent residency and a pathway to citizenship.2 In Justice for People on the Move, Gillian Brock adds to these voices, arguing that removing long-settled undocumented residents is often unjustified and inconsistent with the requirements for state legitimacy.3 Instead, on her view, states should regularise the status of longsettled undocumented people.