This quote really stood out to me in the endnote of a chapter in Caliban and the Witch:

Capitalism — as Moulier Boutang stresses — has always been primarily concerned with preventing the flight of labor.

This made the think that the real purpose of imperial core anti-immigration stances is to keep colonized workers where they are: oppressed and producing cheap goods. It works for denying illegal immigrants rights as well. Illegal immigrants do a vital amount of work in the imperial core, but wouldn’t have to if they had better rights or citizenship.

This might not be groundbreaking, but it helps me understand the material basis behind some reactionary views and who profits from spreading them.