December Motion- Open Borders

World Schools

Agenda

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1. [Team Updates and Announcements] (2 min)
2. Warm Up (10 min)
3. Topic Lecture (20 min)
4. Brain Break (2 min)
5. Mini Debate or Research Time (15-20 min)

Team Updates and Announcements

[Insert or delete slide if there are none]

Warm Up: Two sentence arguments

1. Sentence 1 = clear claim
2. Sentence 2 = reasoning or example/ evidence
3. No rambling. No extra sentences.
4. Have someone represent each side with 2 sentence arguments.

Weekends should be 3 days long

Breakfast is the best meal of the day

School should start at 10 am

Group projects should be abolished

December’s Prepared Motion: This House prefers a world with open borders to one with restricted migration.

What are Open Borders?

Open borders means people can move freely from one country to another without visas, quotas, or immigration caps.

In other words:

• You can live, work, or move to another country just like you can move to another state in the U.S.
• Countries still exist, but they don’t restrict who can come in to live or work.
• Governments may still do basic safety/ security checks, but they can’t limit numbers or stop people just because they aren’t citizens.

It’s basically a world where your birthplace doesn’t limit where you’re allowed to live or build a life.

The Status Quo

Right now, almost every country uses restricted migration, which means:

• You usually need a visa or special permission to enter, live, or work in a country.
• Countries Limit How Many People Can Come In. Most governments set quotas or caps on how many immigrants they accept each year.
• People Are Screened- Immigrants go through checks for: Security, Background, Health, Skills or education
• Citizenship Is Hard to Get- In most countries, becoming a citizen takes many years, tests, fees, and strict requirements.
• People from rich or powerful countries have an easier time moving globally than people from poorer ones.

In short: the world today has strong borders and lots of rules about who can move where.

Comparative Motions

This is a comparative Worlds motion. Teams do not need to propose a detailed policy. Instead, they compare:

1. World A: Countries have open borders- people can freely move, live, and work across countries without visas or immigration caps
2. World B: Countries keep restricted migration- borders remain controlled and movement is limited (our status quo world).

The debate is about which world is better overall.

As always, the motion is global. While you may choose to use the US’s immigration policy as an example, this motion is meant to be considered in general rather than in a specific context.

Let’s Brainstorm!

What are some reasons the motion might be a good idea? (Defending the Proposition)

Potential Prop Arguments

• Economics/ Jobs- Addressing worker shortages, creating economic opportunities
• Reducing inequality- where you are born does not determine your life chances
• Human Rights- some people believe that freedom of movement should be a basic human right
• Cultural exchange- more diversity, more exchange of ideas and culture
• Reduces unsafe border crossings- many people die trying to flee the place they live
• More cooperation between countries
• And more!

Prop should think about potential boundaries or limits on the motion. Open borders does not have to mean there are no security screenings.

What are some reasons the motion might be a bad idea? (Defending the Opposition)

Potential Opp Arguments

• Overwhelming public services- schools, hospitals, welfare systems, supply of housing might be overwhelmed with population increases.
• Backlash- people may not like sudden immigration changes. Could lead to extremism.
• Security- Makes it harder to track who is coming and going- risks for crime and trafficking.
• “Brain Drain”- hard for developing countries if many talented people leave.
• Hurts Sovereignty- Governments need to be able to make their own rules. Not enough flexibility for emergency situations.
• And more!

Even though this is more of a philosophical motion (which world is better)- the Opp should still point out feasibility issues with the Prop’s world.

Core Ethical/ Philosophical Issues

• Global Equality vs. National Interests- Prop argues that open borders create a fairer world where everyone has equal access to opportunity, while Opp argues that governments must prioritize their own citizens’ needs, resources, and stability first.
• Idealism vs. Practicality- Prop presents an inspiring vision of a more just and prosperous world with free movement, while Opp argues that this ideal is unworkable in reality and would strain systems and stability.
• Freedom vs. Security- Prop emphasizes individuals’ right to move freely and choose where they live, while Opp warns that removing border controls weakens a country’s ability to ensure safety, manage risks, and maintain social order.

This is a debate where framing and burdens will be very important. Both sides should clearly argue what the judge should care about.

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Failure to set up strong burdens will probably result in losing the debate.

What questions do you have about this motion?

Brain Break!

Take some time to do some preliminary research on this topic! See if you can find stories or examples to support either side!

Mini Debate

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Should we open borders between countries?