With the current rise of xenophobia, particularly in the United States, critical border and migration theories need to be introduced in the classroom. Critical border and migration theories refer to a range of theories, that often go by differing names, which seek to problematize the modern nationalistic perspectives on borders and migration that center largely on the desire of the nation-state instead of the rights of migrants (Carens, 1987; Juss, 2004; Author 1, 2018a). It is also strongly correlated with the concept of open borders. This article provides a broad understanding of these critical theories from a philosophical, ethical, and economic perspective and the rationale for why these more abstract and universal ideas of migration and borders should be introduced in the classroom despite the controversy they can generate. This focus is of particular importance in an era where the rights of migrants are often limited or disregarded completely.