It's literally the definition of "a free country"
Specifically it was always used as a sharp contrast with the policies of the Soviet Bloc which did not allow people to freely leave their countries.
Specifically it was always used as a sharp contrast with the policies of the Soviet Bloc which did not allow people to freely leave their countries.
citation needed. First off, it does, but it only becomes visible to passengers when they violate the conditions and try to re-enter. Second, this is not the definition of a 'free country'. Third, by modern definitions of a 'free contry' (1) the USA should not be considered 'THE land of the free'.
(1) https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-...
Robeson declared that it was “rather absurd” that he was
not “allowed to travel because of my friendship - open,
spoken friendship - for the Soviet people and the
peoples of all the world.”