&gt;Can anyone elucidate why having artificial barriers to employing certain types of people is beneficial?<p>To prevent a race to the bottom on 1st world wages and worker welfare and to arrest 3rd world brain drain.<p>Can you explain why India should be forced by dint of its poverty to invest in free education for its smartest citizens and let the benefits accrue to US elites rather than to the Indian people?<p>&gt;If so, why not create the same restrictions on, say, a company in California from hiring someone from New York?<p>Because they are both US citizens and their welfare is the responsibility of the US government.<p>If the United States and India were to join at the hip and elect a single government collectively (do you want that?) then I see no reason why we shouldn&#x27;t have free and open immigration between the two countries.<p>&gt;Or is this a guise for xenophobia?<p>Or is race baiting just a cynical ploy to funnel yet more money into the pockets of the 0.01% hyper-elite?