Should liberal democratic states have the right to exclude immigrants from their territories? This article challenges two key arguments in favor of border control: (1) supporting a state's exclusive right to settlement in a determined territory; and (2) defending the exclusive right of membership to citizens and legal residents. It shows that contemporary states do not hold a relevant connection to a particular piece of land that enables them to justify such exclusive right to settlement and that actual state's members can no longer consistently maintain the right to unilateral coercion capable of restricting access to state membership. Finally, it outlines an alternative understanding of a state's territorial rights. © Contrastes. Revista Internacional de Filosofía.

sovereignty Territory Democracy Boundary problem Liberal democratic theory

[No Keywords available]