College campuses have long been bastions of free speech. But in recent years, universities have faced an uptick in censorship from both ends of the political spectrum.

Last month, Stanford University Law School students shouted down a talk by a federal judge who is a member of the conservative Federalist Society. In 2022, Yale Law School and the University of California Hastings, College of the Law blocked speeches representing conservative perspectives.

On the other side of the political spectrum, conservative lawmakers are pushing state-level legislation prohibiting campus criticism of Israel, and in Florida, right-leaning legislators are trying to limit what professors can say in the classroom.

University of Colorado, Boulder is bucking this trend by hosting a robust and open debate on immigration policy on Thursday afternoon. Organized by Steamboat Institute’s Campus Liberty Tour, in collaboration with CU Boulder’s Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, the event will feature Fort Lewis College Professor, Dr. Benjamin Waddell, and Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas as well as former national security advisor, Michael Anton and Townhall reporter, Julio Rosas.

The debate will center on the following resolution: “Illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border are increasing at record levels; the U.S. government must secure the border immediately.” Waddell and Vargas will argue against the resolution, while Anton and Rosas will argue in favor.

Immigration is a complex issue. America was founded by immigrants. Many came in search of social mobility, while others, including millions of enslaved Africans, were forcibly brought to our shores. Regardless, the fact remains, all non-native residents — including both authors of this article — have descendants who immigrated to the United States. In this sense, we agree that the country should always remain open to foreigners who come in search of a better life.

However, we disagree on the best way to handle immigration. On the one hand, these mostly hardworking people deserve the same immigration opportunities as previous generations. Often, they are fleeing immense economic and personal hardship that ordinary Americans can’t even imagine.

On the other hand, turning a blind eye to undocumented border crossings could encourage other immigrants to do the same, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that is straining communities and public resources along the southern border, while facilitating the work of drug cartels.

Our debate aims to identify real solutions to this dilemma. Yet the event is secondary to the broader goal of supporting robust and open discussion on college campuses.

Even though we disagree on the best immigration policy, we agree that all perspectives on this issue deserve to be heard freely. Our goal is not so much to teach students what to think, but rather, how to think critically about pressing issues.

Civil debate on fundamental issues facing society is vital to the future of our country. Robust discussion expands knowledge in a way that’s impossible when just one side of a topic is heard. John Stuart Mill argued, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.” No debater who is committed to an issue seeks compromise. Yet often, the way forward emerges when two sides eloquently articulate their principled positions.

We believe strongly in our stances on this issue, but we recognize that each side’s argument has merits.

Civil debates allow us to establish common ground, which is the only way to move forward in a world where two people will never see things exactly the same. Reason and persuasion are better ways of identifying real public policy solutions than the growing trend of intimidation, shouting and ad hominem attacks.

No matter what side is victorious in Thursday’s debate, we believe we’ve already won by illuminating the importance of robust and respectful discussion. Hopefully, it will be a model for other college campuses to follow.

Dr. Benjamin Waddell is a professor at Fort Lewis College. Julio Rosas is a reporter at Townhall.