Who Owns Public Property? Libertarian Property Theory and the Problem of Immigration.

The status of so-called public property remains a particularly contentious issue within libertarian literature. While some theorists contend that such property is unowned, others argue that it constitutes privately owned property under state control. This debate has direct and significant implications for the issue of open versus controlled borders. This article argues that, given the existence of the state, a consistent application of libertarian property theory renders the open-borders position untenable. It further contends that certain immigration restrictions represent a “second-best” solution to the problem of managing public property. Ultimately, the article defends the view that treating public property as privately owned by the taxpayers is the only coherent and justifiable libertarian position.