Why is there no universal right of free movement of persons?

Answer

The question is quite easy to answer from a social science perspective. (While this may not provide a sufficient answer from an ethical or philosophical perspective, it seems to me that this information could help you on your way here as well.) When something like “states” came into existence, there were always two recurring characteristics associated with the core of what a state is.

The first is that every state has a territory. A territory means that each nation also controls a certain territory in one way or another (after a while this came to mean, for example, that only the government could use force, and that people who are in the state are not allowed to do so; this is called monopolization of violence. ). Territory is therefore a precondition for being able to speak of a nation state.

The second element that makes a state what it is, are the people who are permanently connected to this state. We call these people citizens. Citizenship is so central that you see long discussions in history about who is or cannot be a citizen, whether every citizen has the same rights, and so on. In most countries, there is broad agreement that citizenship is more than just living in one place or another. Citizenship entails a number of rights and obligations that are not assigned to casual passers-by such as tourists. Voting rights are one such. But citizens also have to do things. Often these rights and obligations can also be found in the symbolic sphere. Many citizens feel closer to other citizens of their country than to any non-citizen.

Anyone who brings one and two together will soon understand that states and the associated groups in charge do not want everyone to be able to count themselves as part of a country in a sustainable way, for example by settling there. Control of a territory is the first thing any political elite in the world will aspire to before they want anything else. It must be said that this idea that the state should regulate and control people’s access to its territory is also shared by a great many people who do not belong to the political elite. In just about every country where migratory pressure exists, there is also a persistent debate about the best ways to manage this migration. The votes in favor of a truly completely free settlement of people in a country can be counted on one hand.