[TheCrusader]

The book "Barbarians At The Gates" tells the story very well. Rome eventually allowed many of the babarians to become citizens, and even to become members of their military. This was the real reason for the decline and fall of Rome. Sound familiar with our own nation? Open borders, lax immigration laws, rewarding illegal aliens with licenses. The barbarians are at our own gates now.

[LenS]

Ah, but the Empire's successful days were built on the conversion of the Gauls, the Britons, the Spaniards and many other peoples (including the Balkans, North Africans, and the peoples of Asia Minor) into Roman citizens who vigorously defended the Empire for centuries. In fact, that assimilation process began during the Republic as the city-state began to turn their neighbors into Roman citizens. It was often a bloody process (see Social Wars).

And Rome always had open borders -- it was only large armies that were stopped. The borders were too vast for the Legions to patrol as if it was the Korean DMZ.

[wardaddy]

They are in our gates and we are obligated to treat them special...