Given the clear need for immigrants, why is immigration such a controversial issue in Spain today?

    The events that took place at El Ejido, must not be seen as mere spontaneous outbursts of xenophobic violence. These events bring to light many important aspects of what immigration really means in Spain. To some extent, this case study unravels the huge mafia type businesses built around illegal immigration. It questions the laws involved to control immigration and it shows the clear influence of the media on forming people’s opinions and even prejudices. It seems to be that the Spanish press and television are hungry for anything concerning immigration; they can dramatize or ignore it depending on their interests. A book entitled “El Ejido, racismo y explotación laboral” shows that only a day after the assassination of “El Ejido”, there was a triple murder by a man in Valencia. Despite this, the newspaper headlines of el país nearly ignored the triple murder giving all the importance to the news featuring the immigrants. Television takes things a step forward. In an extremely televised country the almost daily images of the so-called ‘pateras’ with hundreds of African immigrants, including corpses, pregnant mothers, babies and children contribute to the dramatization of the situation. Although a lot of interest resides in sympathizing the readers or viewers with immigration, experts on the subject like Antonio Izquierdo have stated that Spanish society is misinformed by the media as it continues to relate immigrants with urban delinquency or with drug dealing. Whatever the case it is true that since the early 1990’s a stereotype has been created to portray the average immigrant as a northern African, mostly Moroccan or Algerian. This creates another important problem to consider; the modern concern of the assimilation of Islam by European states and societies.

    Sami Nair in the text “El peaje de la vida” considers that Spanish society is ready to take in immigration from Latin America without serious problems; they speak the same language and share the same religion. However, the assimilation of the Moslem Arab, or the black African is a different story. He continues on to speak about anti-Moslem groups suggesting that the reason for the rejection of the Moroccan in Spain has its roots in the anti-Moorish historical tradition of the reconquest. Weather this view appears extreme or not, it is true that the Spanish society is far from being comfortable with the Arab culture and religion.  Some months ago there was controversy over a Moslem girl in Madrid that wore her hijab to school. The board of the school said that it was wrong for the girl to cover herself, and if she was to continue attending class she should do it without the hijab. The people were very much exposed to this controversy dramatized again by the media; the overall view on the subject was that the girl should not cover herself. This example shows not only uneasiness of accepting Moslem culture, but also a complete insensitivity towards it. The events of September 11, and the arrests of some members of the (Alquaeda) in small villages in Spain are not making the incorporation and assimilation of the Moslem any easier. A recent article in el país written by Marc Carrillo highlights this problem. He questions what the level of tolerance and openness should be in a democratic society when it comes to receiving a multicultural diversity that comes from abroad. According to him, tolerance cannot be unlimited. If the democratic country allows for any religion or ideology to coexist it does so in a way in which respect, and social order is guaranteed. Thus, if individual or collective behaviors are led by irrational norms and believes, why should the government then be tolerant? Reached this point, the author is directly referring to the Moslem religion, going as far as saying that “The state cannot be indifferent towards behaviors that are repulsive to the very human condition…”. He gives examples of some of these behaviors; they include physical abuse and discrimination to women, the prohibition of them to enter school, or genital mutilation. Once said this, he claims that the state cannot allow religious conviction to go before the will of democracy, because this would mean that diversity was tolerated in non-democratic way. Therefore “the state cannot exercise a sort of paternalism that would lead them to tolerate individual or collective behaviors that constitute a violation of the human dignity and the essential human right principles.”

    The question of Islam in Spain and other European countries is not simple. Indeed the Arab countries of North Africa, like Morocco or Algeria are now a synonym of migratory pressure, and most importantly of the huge business favored by illegal or clandestine immigration. When the “boats of death” arrive to the Spanish coast, mafia-like organizations quickly get hold of these immigrants making them work for extremely low salaries. Most part of illegal immigration is used as a work force for agriculture in most of southern Spain. The working conditions in are shocking. This is, perhaps one of the worse sides of immigration, a study of the area shows that only 33% lived in proper homes, 31% were not supplies with electricity, and up to 75% in places like “El Ejido” live in shacks across the countryside. One immigrant belonging to the ATIME writes about the conditions and the humiliations illegal immigrants are subject to on a daily basis; “Our situation is unbearable, the conditions in which we work are those of slavery...”. Unfortunately many people are favored by illegal immigration, as Sami Nair describes illegal immigration is a “Merchandise that is bought and sold whenever the market needs to”.

    Agricultural prosperity of much of southern Spain is due to immigration, after all, illegal immigrants take the necessary jobs that no Spaniard would take. Clandestine immigration does not only favor the economy of particular areas, it is also very convenient to certain groups or politicians. Much of the problem enhancing clandestine immigration is within the laws of immigration. The fact that the laws are not working is very appropriate to some politicians. Fernando Olivan points out that when the incidents in “El Ejido” took place, some political parties from the lefts such as PSOE or IU, saw the chance as a populist way to favor the institutional crisis that was avoiding them from representing a proper political opposition. Thus, to some extent it is convenient to maintain the issue of immigration as a problem.

    The same author continues to develop the idea that the laws in Spain to deal with immigration contain more flaws than anything else. Indeed, the well-known “Nueva ley de extranjeria” that was brought into action in the year 2000 has been well criticized. Fernando Olivan stresses that the immigrant has always been in a marginal position when it comes to laws and rights. He speaks about a ‘spirit of segregation’ towards foreigners that can be traced back many years a go. In 1817 a royal order warned how dangerous and harmful it was to employ foreigners in most jobs, but especially to guard key points like ports and frontiers. In 1843 another royal order stated that “foreigners should always be denied their role to exercise acts of citizenship”. A few years later in 1852 the first modern terms of ‘resident’ and ‘passer-by’ appeared formalized in another law. The writer claims that the “Nueva ley de extranjeria” is born from this tradition to exclude the immigrant as much as possible. In 1985 the first set of laws were brought up to control the flow of foreigners into Spain. This was essential for a new and modern democratic state, however it soon proved to be unsuccessful when the number of illegal immigrants would double or even triple form year to year. In fact 80% of the immigrations were resolved, not by the law, but by NGO’s or by syndicates. When the newest set of laws were introduced in the year 2000 they appeared to be just and suggest positive progress. However, they are essential mainstream laws that Spain requires as a member of the EU. Three years after the only certainty taking place is the continuous inflow of immigrants and a larger number of repatriations, seventy thousand in the year 2002.

    The forces acting against immigration are many; the way to stop these forces is perhaps an almost impossible task. The need of immigration is undeniable, but the most important of these needs is that Spain cannot permit a prolonged aging of its population. In the year 1998 only 365,000 births were registered, this is within the lowest birth rates in the world. Immigration is needed to not only to occupy the job placements that the Spaniards will not take now and in the future, but also the skilled ones. Overall the foreign population in Spain is still less that 2%, contrasting with the average 4% of the rest of Europe. Immigration inevitably will continue to increase. Racism, the media, incoherent laws, the mafias and the politics all seem to be only adapting to the beginning of a phenomena that will only grow in number and importance.

Bibliography

• Antonio Izquierdo (1996), “La Inmigración Inesperada, la población extranjera en España (1991-1995)” (Spain:Editorial Trotta)
• Francisco Checa (2002), “Las migraciones a debate, de las teorías a las practicas sociales”  (Spain: Editorial Icaria)
• Juan Goytisolo, Sami Nair (2000), “El peaje de la vida, integración o rechazo de la emigración en España” (Spain: Editorial Aguilar)
• S.O.S Racismo (2002), “El Ejido Racismo y explotación laboral” (Spain: Editorial Icaria)
• Andrés Rodríguez-Pose (2002), “The European Union, economy, society and polity.” (GB: Oxford university press)
• Sami Nair (2001), “La inmigración explicada a mi hija” (Spain: Plaza&Janes)
• Marc Carrillo, (Martes 26 de noviembre de 2002) “Inmigración y valores constitucionales”
• http//education.guardian.co.uk.